Jasper Høiby’s group Phronesis have been making a name for themselves as one of the most exciting piano trios on the scene. Last week they recorded live for the first time in the atmospheric setting of Camden’s The Forge venue in London.

The buzz was amplified by the addition of US drummer Mark Giuliana alongside double bassist Høiby and pianist Ivo Neame. The Forge’s high ceiling, wood-panelled walls and gorgeous acoustic made it feel as though we were crowded into a recording studio. And we were: the best recordings from the two shows will make up a live album.

At times on Thursday it was clear that Høiby was feeling the pressure of the recording equipment, tapping the mike hesitantly before each announcement and restarting ‘Love Song’ after a minute. But there was no tentativeness in the music itself.

The first set started small, Høiby’s driving riffs and tricksy time signatures relentlessly building tension all the way to the storming first set closer, ‘Abraham’s New Gift’. The second set climaxed with the no less explosive ‘Smoking The Camel’, featuring an astounding polyrhythmic solo from Giuliana, whose playing throughout combined antsy energy with surgical precision.

With Høiby providing the rhythmic anchor for his compositions, Giuliana and Neame were free to exploit the full colour palette of their instruments, Neame infusing the busy grooves with a Jarrett-like melodic sensibility. The album is due for release in August, on Edition Records.

– Edward Randell