PASSIONATE SONG LOVERS Many kinds of flirts exist: some are scattered to the four winds, others are blown away with the smell of alcohol on one's breath, and indeed some remain no more than a casual liking without serious intent. And yet some few turn more or less swiftly into love. Many attempts at flirting with jazz and pop have graced the scene, but most have floundered. The musical equivalent of harmless, flirtatious chitchat hardly makes for sustained amorous encounters. Fortunately, here is R.I.S.S., four young passionate song lovers from Switzerland, striving for more than a brief fling or a quick flirt. Stefan Rusconi (piano), Christoph Irniger (tenor saxophone), Luca Sisera (bass), and Michi Stulz (drums) express their anything but Platonic love for pithy songs with the interactive chutzpah of jazz. R.I.S.S. is a jazz quartet that gets down to work with the collective ethos of a pop band, dedicated to the in-depth exploration of melodies, harmonies, and grooves. Instead of thrashing out phrases or abusing its songs as vehicles for improvising their virtuous antics, here are four musicians endeavouring to fathom the concealed depths of their music. Good pop songs blend an inexplicable magic with the mechanical drone of sweet-sounding mainstream tunes. R.I.S.S oscillates between enigma and euphony, a principle that also holds true for its free improvisations. Here is music in which jazz and pop approach one another, smiling and embracing, and ultimately coalescing into an indissoluble unity. (Tom Gsteiger)