Barnes tags this album as his ‘60th Birthday Celebration – New Takes on Tunes from '59’. Having selected 11 pieces from that seminal year he commissioned Nightingale to produce charts that evoked something of Art Pepper + Eleven, put together a first-rate band and five months later here it is. I'm tempted to call the outcome a triumph. Quite one of his most ambitious projects, the arrangements beautifully crafted to allow the group's many soloists to have their say with the birthday boy, not unnaturally, making sure that his many voices are heard. From the rumbustious opening moments of ‘Boogie Stop Shuffle’ it's clear that Nightingale has kept the essence of each of these compositions while delivering a series of imaginative reinventions. Here Barnes is spiky, up on his toes, and Aspland gets a hearing. ‘Take Five’ is much the same, that famous alto passage retained before the underwriting develops and Foster gets a turn. And so it goes, each track a joy, Barnes eloquent on clarinet on Jobim's ‘A Felicidad’, the easy-paced swing on Quincy's ‘A Change of Pace’ just that, White and Fowler featured. The playing is exhilarating throughout, the energy palpable, with a lot going on. A wonderful new beginning, says Barnes. Quite so.

Jazzwise spoke to Alan Barnes:

Can you say something about the album's concept?

It's very much a 60th birthday present to myself, financed by my label, Woodville Records. It's often struck me that I mainly play music from the time I was born. One of my favourite albums, Art Pepper + 11, is also from 1959. I wanted arrangements for the same size of band and tunes from that year. Mark and I chose the tunes.

You picked Mark Nightingale as your arranger. What are his special qualities as a writer?

He's incredible, one of the finest writers and instrumentalists we've ever produced. His approach is very compositional – each chart is beautifully shaped and crafted and musically satisfying, because he constantly develops the material in all kinds of interesting ways. He also wrote to our strengths and brought out the best in us.

Why this particular choice of players?

A couple of the lead players – Pat White and Howard McGill – are mainly session musicians, but I knew they were good improvisers. Lots of old friends on there as well and a great young trumpeter, James Copus, who is going to make waves. Everyone gave their best in the written sections and the soloing was inspired. I wanted to solo mainly on alto, but also feature my doubles of baritone, clarinet and bass clarinet. It was also important to feature the other musicians in solo spots throughout.

You've spoken about the inspiration of Art Pepper. What does he mean to you?

He came up with an original way of playing when the influence of Bird was all pervasive. His articulation and phrasing had such clarity and ideas poured out of him. It was also a very emotional way of playing that went against the general perceptions of what West Coast jazz was. Everything he did had real musical integrity and, most importantly, he always swung.