Jazz Preview: Ambitious album inspired by history of Europe

“The music contained on this CD is the result of over 40 years of study into why this continent exists in the way that it does,” he writes in the sleeve notes. Phew! As tall orders go, this takes some beating. Happily the initial reviews of the record range from favourable to ecstatic, with some suggesting that this is Pine’s masterpiece in a career which has already yielded more than a dozen albums since his first solo offering Journey to the Urge Within became the first serious jazz album ever to make the British Top 40.

With the new album taking inspiration from Gregorian chants, Mediterranean music, and melodies of the far north, Yorkshire audiences have two opportunities to deliver their own verdict next week when Pine performs tracks from Europa at York Theatre Royal on Wednesday and Hull Truck Theatre on Thursday.

The line-up includes Zoe Rahman on piano, Alec Dankworth on bass and Mark Mondesir on drums with the Cuban violinist Omar Puente and viola player Amanda Drummond also contributing to a soundscape which took 40 years to create. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Europa is Pine’s switch from saxophone to bass clarinet – an unusual move which pays off in this bold attempt to a bring the history of a continent into musical focus.

Courtney Pine, York Theatre Royal, March 30, 01904 623568, www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Hull Truck Theatre, March 31, 01482 323638, www.hulltruck.co.uk