Bleu, a trio consisting of Lorenz Raab (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ali Angerer (tuba), and Rainer Deixler (drums, percussion), are intense landscape painters. On their journey, they perform desert dances, dive into deep valleys, rise from the lowlands, and encounter one another within wide and narrow circles, close to the sun. Bleu is an album full of lyrical balance and warmth. Bleu has a somewhat meditative quality, but it is not bland. Upon closer listening, Raab, Angerer, and Deixler leave enough room in their interpretations, variations, and improvisations for a very personal approach to their opus, and if you feel like it, you too will find it. (Christian Bakony)