Album: Marius Neset, Birds (Edition)

Young Norwegian saxophonist Neset stunned all with his extraordinarily assured debut, but this follow-up is so ambitious the stakes are raised sky high.

What's striking is how teeming with influences the music is, from Nordic folk to American pastoral to Django Bates, Steve Reich and Wayne Shorter. You can find most of them in the epic opening title track, and there's still almost an hour to go. As Anthony Burgess said of James Joyce: here comes everybody.