Extending the range of his widely-praised Trio Libero project with French bassist Michel Benita and Scottish drummer Seb Rochford, Andy Sheppard adds the Norwegian guitarist and electronics wizard Eivind Aarset to his band for 'Surrounded by Sea'. With Aarset's ambient drones and electronic textures as a backdrop, Sheppard and co seem to have even more space to explore than on the saxophonist's acclaimed Trio Libero recording (2786630). The music embraced here includes new compositions by Sheppard, Benita and Rochford, open improvisations, the Elvis Costello tune "I Want To Vanish", and the Gaelic traditional ballad "Aoidh, Na Dean Cadal Idir" which appears in three variations, a thematic thread through the album. 'Surrounded by Sea' was recorded at Lugano in August-September 2014 with Manfred Eicher producing.