HIGH FIVE 1_Excellent stories that take your breath away often develop from the simple starting scenario of "boy meets girl". But this scenario cannot be applied on the same one-to-one basis to instrumental music, although approximations are, of course, possible. One of the best of such approximations is "jazz meets pop": on the one hand, there's jazz with its penchant for virile and virtuoso heroism, and on the other hand, there's pop with its gentle swaying of the hips. 2_It very much goes without saying that love affairs between jazz and pop can have quite different outcomes. After all, it's not that much different in the case of "boy meets girl". Creating harmony between jazz and pop, while preserving both the core tension of jazz and the sexiness of pop, is actually not that easy. Guitarist Michael Bucher knows how to celebrate the art of mischievously playing away with great nonchalance, as he completes this balancing act with his new quintet with subtlety and boldness. In other words: Bucher & Co are walking a thin line between complexity and catchiness - sometimes with subtle elegance and sometimes with sporty devilment. 3_Without forgetting the achievements of such ground-breaking bands as the Pat Metheny Group or drummer Brian Blade's Fellowship Band, it can be said that Michael Bucher is adding his own new chapter to the history of "jazz meets pop". And in order to do this, he has found the right mix, not only as a composer but also as a bandleader: his quintet has the perfect line-up in all respects. 4_The opposite of an impostor, pianist Peter Wagner explores his common ground with Bucher in a way which sometimes borders on telepathy. Tenor saxophonist Rafael Schilt is a master of inventing non-stereotypical melody lines but can sometimes also go off on an impromptu tangent to outer space. Double bass player Patrick Sommer is concerned with keeping everything grounded: he has already carved out a name for himself as the soulful bass groover of the BucherSommerFriedli trio. Last but not least, there's Arno Troxler, an extremely well-versed and unpretentious drummer, who rarely beats about the bush and instead, coming from different perspectives, gets right to the heart of the matter with his beats. 5_If jazz and pop can be combined in such an intelligent, diverse, tasteful and interesting way as this band does it, dual listening pleasure will be guaranteed: prick up your ears and relax at the same time. Tom Gsteiger