Thomas Johansson - Home Alone (2018)

Johansson fashions music from the past 50 years of trumpet innovations. "Monologue" exhibits a crisp richness of tone, any classical student would envy, while "Fractures" delves into the slurry slap-tongue hyper-expressive extended technique his producer Lasse Marhaug might sample in a club clearing noise performance. Yes, what we are listening to is an artist in full command of his instrument. What is key here is that he doesn't just present sound, but song form. "Lines For Mathilde" is a luxurious flugelhorn ballad and the title track might be the solo you waited for all night when he is playing in another group.