I'd imagine most of my fellow music critics know this feeling so well.

Every time we press play on a new album, a little devil climbs onto our shoulder, rubs his hands together and exclaims, "This will be fun...!"

Typically by track two, the devil and I have plenty to point at. Weak compositions. Boring playing. Unimaginative arrangements. Poor sound.

But every now and then we put on a record that, play after play after play, leaves us both scratching our heads.

Frames by Miho Hazama is exactly that record.

I've played it time and time again, with the little red devil growing more and more restless on my shoulder, and found nothing to pick on.

So, there's nothing else left to do but to say it straight: Frames is a great album.

Not a masterpiece, let's make that clear. It's a long way from The Atomic Mr. Basie, Consummation, or Concert in the Garden.

But it doesn't have to be.

It's simply a wonderfully conceived, beautifully composed and arranged big band album. And with the onslaught of mediocre releases we have to endure every week, that's already more than we could ask for.

Some facts I found about this album

• Frames is Miho Hazama's fourth release on Edition Records and her third with the Danish Radio Big Band as its chief conductor.
• The six original compositions draw inspiration from the musical language of the orchestra's previous chief conductors, although they are new works rather than tributes.
• The album was recorded in Copenhagen in November 2025 and mixed and mastered in New York.

Frames - The Music

I typically dread modern big band albums. So often, the focus is on sonic acrobatics or sheer power. Luckily, you won't find that here.

Every composition feels carefully planned, arranged and rehearsed. The complex arrangements allow the ensemble to stretch pieces close to ten minutes without ever drifting into meandering.

Interludes and interplay support the soloists rather than compete with them. Themes remain memorable, arrangements keep you listening, and soloing is consistently tasteful.

Whether that comes from Hazama drawing on the musical language of the orchestra's previous chief conductors, I can't say. What I can say is that an enormous amount of thought went into making this record engaging from beginning to end.

What about the sound?

Frames has a mellow, warm sound. Highs never become aggressive, while the lows, although slightly restrained, remain satisfying.

The soundstage is wide, even if instrument separation isn't always quite as expansive.

One thought kept returning to me while listening: this album sounds like a record.

It never tries to convince you that you're sitting in a concert hall or rehearsal room. Instead, it embraces the studio. Just you, your speakers and the music.

It's a remarkably honest approach to production, and I applaud the team behind it.