Between 1990 and 2005, Spence co-led Clarion Fracture Zone, whose albums number among the high spots of Australian jazz – Less Stable Elements, Canticle – and was a member of the Australian Art Orchestra from its beginnings. His longstanding trio with Toby Hall and Lloyd Swanton was nominated for an Australian Jazz Bell Award and Art Music Award for Excellence in Jazz a couple of years ago. And Spence gets around too, performing in Japan, US and Europe, plus all ports in between. Whirlpool, a two-CD set, is perhaps surprisingly, his first solo piano album for 20 years. Spontaneously conceived, he moves from episodes of plunks and plinks on prepared piano to powerful Romantic proclamations – ‘(under) standing’. Spence is both imaginative and expansive, sensitive to mood and contrast, texture and melody, euphony and cacophony. Such undertakings are experienced subjectively by the listener, whose expectations are shaped by their previous listening experiences, thus, like the Curate's Egg, Whirlpool is good in parts although the bits I think are less interesting may not be yours, such is the nature of subjectivity, but with Spence there are plenty of good bits we can all agree on.