Playground, drummer Manu Katche's second recording for ECM goes even further than his label debut, Neighborhood, in demonstrating his prowess as a leader and as a composer. Once again, he is joined by pianist Marcin Wasilewski and bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz (both regularly perform with trumpeter Tomasz Stanko). This time out, three more ECM regulars participate in the proceedings; trumpeter Mathias Eick and saxophonist Trygve Seim fill out the lineup while guitarist David Torn guests on a couple of tunes. The resulting ensemble plays with enviably tight coordination and tremendous sensitivity. One can think of few drummer-led projects that share Neighborhood's frequent delicacy, lyricism, and restraint. Particularly lovely are the compositions "Lo" and "Song for Her." The band also gets to cook on "So Groovy" and "Clubbing," tunes which admirably show off Seim and Eick as formidable and imaginative soloists. - Christian Carey (2007, The Daily Copper)