Mezzoforte - Playing for Time (1990)

Just as the East Coast claims ownership of the best in straight-ahead jazz, pop fusion is often considered indigenous to the West Coast. Who would ever suspect that you could find any of the latter emanating from Iceland? But that's exactly where you find the punchy four-piece unit Mezzoforte. The recording time of this debut was split between Reykjavik and Los Angeles, with West Coast hornmen Ernie Watts, Jerry Hey, and Steve Tavaglione contributing to some of the perkiest original compositions this side of, well, Greenland. Mezzoforte has been playing as a unit since the late '70s, which might explain the overall tight ensemble work on this upbeat disc. It would be fun to imagine Bjork sitting in with them!