Mark Lockheart Saxophone

Liam Noble Piano

Jasper Høiby Bass

Instinct​: Innate propensity; performed without conscious design; innate impulse; unconscious skill. If there is one word that describes the process of improvisation, it’s this. If there’s one group working inEurope today that typifies the instinctual interplay, the almost magical ability of each member to hear in advance what the others are playing, it’s ​Malija. ​The three members have honed their listening and playing skills to such a pitch that they seem to play as one. The music is as a stream of consciousness that is instinctively created and innately brilliant.Instinct​​is the shimmering and impressive new album from ​Malija, ​the sophisticated genre-bending all-star trio that received phenomenal acclaim for their debut album​ The Day I Had Everything [2015]. An album that showcases the sheer brilliance, interplay and depth of musicianship of three of the most celebrated and revered Jazz musicians in Europe – Mark Lockheart, Jasper Høiby and LiamNoble, ​Instinct​ is a masterful exercise in group empathy, with each element operating in collective brilliance. Driven by a commitment to in-the-moment improvisation and collective musical banter, the band idiomatically sweeps through an abundance of styles, colours and influences, delivering music full of flair and playful abandon, exploring a sound world without drums. Conducting a unique individualism, great technical facility and a strong sense of musical clarity and vision, in combination the three form a distinctive musical voice, a sound greater that the sum of its parts. As Mark Lockheart explains:​ ‘Recording this album was such a joyful experience. There’s a wonderful intuitive connection between us all that sparks a higher level of interplay and communication. ​Bassist Jasper Hoiby is more prosaic, describing their music as: ​‘“weird, simple, complicated, free, tight, floaty, ugly, beautiful and heartfelt, depending on your mood”. The title encapsulates the album’s essence. Built on the solid foundations of deep friendship, a love of musical connectivity, a commonly held searching and exploratory vision, each note is played instinctively but it is invariably the right note.

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