There is an ebb and flow to the best creative music scenes, where different stylistic instincts co-exist and feed each other, not shout each other down. Norway is such a country, providing some of the most adventurous music we’ve heard at 12 Points. But tradition has its place there too, and it has a new standard bearer in tenor saxophonist, Hanna Paulsberg. Along with bandmates Oscar Grönberg (piano), Trygve Fiske (bass) and Hans Hulbaekmo (drums), she emerged fully formed from the Norwegian jazz hit factory that is Trondheim Conservatory in 2010, and the band has been on an upward trajectory since, including Waltz For Lili, 2012's acclaimed debut album. Old school principles of melody and pulse hold sway here, and Paulsberg especially invokes the drama and lyricism of Wayne Shorter, not just in her playing, but also as composer. Its all the more effective for being ingénue, and the band plays with the open heart that we’ve come to expect from the musicians who live close to the Arctic Circle.