For me, free improvisation is nothing more than composing – spon- taneous composing from the moment," says bassist Stephan Crump. In this trio, three ideal-typical partners come together who bring along thinking in compositional structures. Saxophoneophonist Ingrid Laubrock is active as a composer in her countless projects, always swinging playfully between composition and improvisation and moving light-footedly between harmonic and rhythmically bound jazz and free improvisation. The pianist Cory Smythe (decorated with a Grammy for the recording "In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores" 2015) originally comes from new serious music and, is a lust-walking border crosser between new music and jazz improvisation. With Stephan Crump, who, in addition to his engagement in the Vijay Iyer Trio, is also often on the road in chamber music formations, the three of them provided a festival highlight with their filigree art of improvi- sation: enjoy these sonic subtleties, most of which are drawn from tranquillity, and expansive arcs of tension in which, according to Crump, "every note becomes a planet".

Cover art: Gottfried Honegger
Graphic design: Jonas Schoder
Photo: Reuben Radding
Liner notes: Michel J. Agovino

Music by Stephan Crump, Ingrid Laubrock, Cory Smythe. Recorded live at unerhört!-Festival 2017, December 1, 2017. Recording engineer: Mar- tin Pearson. Recording produced by Radio SRF 2 Kultur and Intakt Records. Mixed by Stephan Crump with Ingrid Laubrock, Cory Smythe at The Butler Plaza, Brooklyn, NY. Mastered by Liberty Ellman at 4D Stu- dios, Brooklyn, NY.