"Melodies. The Magic Mountain" called out to me from the record store shelf. I never heard of the album before. The name, Mateusz Pałka, and his two colleagues, Piotr Południak and Patryk Dobosz, didn't ring any bells either.

But somehow, I noticed exactly this album while browsing records at a small, local store during a recent trip to Poland. I didn't intend to buy it. In fact, I was actually looking for more Polish Jazz series records for my collection.

But it called out to me, and I am so happy I responded.

Funnily enough, the title of Mateusz Palka Trio's second album - "Melodies. The Magic Mountain" - contains all the words I'd want to use to describe the music.

It's magical. It's filled with beautiful melodies, too. In fact, in spite of it being a traditional jazz piano trio record, this music is surprisingly full of them. I don't hear much desire for showmanship in their music. Nobody really tries to stand out from the pack, either.

And that is a very mature proposition from such young musicians. All three have been born in the 90s. I remember myself dabbling in playing jazz (on a doublebass, poorly) as a young man (right about the same time as when these musicians were being born), and certainly I didn't show such maturity then. I don't even know whether I'd show it now.

But to this trio, atmosphere, musical coherence, immersiveness, and the deep desire to command the music rather than letting it play them seems to be the goal.

One other thing stood out for me: compositions on "Melodies. The Magic Mountain" are short. Every note seems to have its place, and there's not a note too many.

Themes are minimalist in nature, focusing on setting the mood. I don't think I could whistle them. But they did draw me into the atmosphere they create.

But it's still a jazz record. Improvisations are aplenty. And they also show the trio's maturity. When playing impromptu, these three young men never veer away too far from the theme, and the format. Not for a moment, I felt that someone broke the deep communication these players seem to share, and went their own way.

So, I am not surprised that their music has been compared to "melancholic, atmospheric, wordless songs."

This is exactly what they are. Beautiful, haunting songs.

If you're looking for jazz that will fill your listening room with evocative melodies, captivate you, and pretty much stop the time until the last note, this is the album to put on.