Jeanette Wrate & Northern Lights Ensemble - Echoes of a Northern Sky (1999)

I had hardly heard of drummer Jeanette Wrate before I listened to this CD, but I'll certainly be watching out for her work in the future. This music was inspired by Wrate's discovery of Scandinavian folk music, but is clearly the work of jazz musicians. All four band members make impressive contributions, especially Wrate herself, a fine drummer who also composed or arranged all the music here. A few tracks are slow and atmospheric, but there's not much somber, most of it has a sunny feel. This CD has a generous 70 minutes of very good music, and is beautifully packaged as well. Worth checking out!