Pianist Nikolaj Hess adroitly walks the balance of jazz piano and modern strings on this rich and satisfying album of juxtapositions of jazz and classical. He combines his trio of Anders Ac Christensen/b and Mikkel Hess/dr with a string quartet of Caecilie Balling-Christian Ellegaard/vi, Jakup Lutzen/va and Josefine Opsahl/cel in a marvelous collection of flavors. At times, as on the eerie “Seven Ate Nine”, the opens with a probing trio before the strings waft in with Bartokian elements. Other times, the strings provide pizzicato’d droplets before Hess’ team comes in with Bill Evans romance as on “Ravel Reflections”, or give Mozartian textures leading into the jazz team on “Adagio”. The two teams say together on the melancholy “ECM Country” or the dancing “Celeste”, while Christensen lays down a sublime pulse around the sustained strings on the probing “Piece” and the team gives rich parlor atmospheres on the elegant “Black and White before Hess closes things out with a Debussyesque solo on “ Intro Exit”. Sublime, sophisticated and satisfying.