This week at the Bird's Eye in Basel, I heard two concerts by Christoph Grab's Shape & Form Ensemble with Lina Allemano (trumpet), Matthieu Mazué (piano), Christian Weber (bass), and Dieter Ulrich (drums), and then I heard one concert by pianist Kathrine Windfeld's sextet with Malthe Kaptajn (trumpet), Hannes Bennich (alto), Marek Konarski (tenor), Johannes Vaht (bass), and Henrik Holst Hansen (drums). The two brilliant bands offered a fascinating contrast: While Grab's compositions dispensed with themes and solos in thirty-something-minute suites of group improvisation full of twists, turns, and surprises, Windfeld's were like a rediscovery of the joys of rich three-horn heads, lush solos, and arrangements leading to peak after peak. (Andrew Shields, #111words, 20 February 2026)