The simplicity of their album title chimes with the way these three often-undersung but richly experienced musicians combine. There’s much history here: bassist Lars Danielsson worked for many years with fellow Swede, pianist Bobo Stenson, and Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen. Guitarist John Parricelli was a founder member of London big band Loose Tubes and has since featured with trumpeters Kenny Wheeler and Chris Batchelor. And trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, as well as leading his own projects, is the son of Finnish bassist Pekka Pohjola, from the popular band Wigwam.

Fifteen years of recording together accounts for Danielsson and Parricelli’s intuitive understanding and, although this began as the bassist’s idea, Pohjola lends the project its voice on a dozen tracks that, while varied in style, have a unifying, sometimes hymnal quality.

In keeping with the recording’s location (Château Palmer in the Bordeaux wine region), French composers Debussy, Messiaen and Philippe Sarde are referenced as influences, with the latter’s ‘La Chanson d’Hélène’ providing a superbly regretful interlude; there are also touches of flamenco. What makes this such a pleasure to listen to is the tonal quality of each instrument allied to the trio’s graceful, personally expressive musicianship. Danielsson adds cello to the self-explanatory ‘Playing With The Groove’, while Pohjola improvises quicksilver muted trumpet lines, and the perhaps unlikely inclusion of both Ron Sexsmith’s ‘Gold In Them Hills’ and Duke Ellington’s ‘Mood Indigo’ somehow emphasises the perfect alignment of three master craftsmen.

Trio is released by Act Music on Friday 15 November; main picture: Julien Mignot.