AERIE began life in Austria born out of a musical meeting of minds when Irish tenor saxophonist Sam Comerford first began to play together with the Swiss alto/soprano saxist Ingo Hipp.

They debuted last year on Hatch and Host, an album full of Hipp’s highly analytical thought-laden compositions, the saxist joined by Comerford, guitarist Laurent Méteau, Estonian bassist Peedu Kass and drummer Matthew Jacobson to complete the line-up – the heart of the album certainly in the opening tracks depends on the tight interconnectedness between saxophones and guitar. The loose rhythmic structures sculpted by Jacobsen recall the more experimental side of Paul Motian allowing plenty of room for patient development. The more Méteau lets go and moves into a kind of Mary Halvorson style, say on ‘Whatever,’ the more engaging the album becomes.

AERIE, above, are on tour this autumn playing Limerick (5 Oct), Wexford (6 Oct), Galway Jazz Festival (8 Oct) and Dublin (9 Oct).