Like the proverbial horse and carriage, James and East go together like the best of marriages. It could of course all be desperately smug, and in the past this correspondent has never been generous to James the smooth jazz icon. But few hearts would fail to melt at these affectionate workouts that largely feature James on acoustic piano, and more astonishing, have East on the bull fiddle rather than on electric bass. There are sporadic forays into big orchestrations, and the occasional crunch of synth and electric keyboard. But it's piano/bass duets that seduce. Take East's composition ‘Oliver's Bag’, with James all lyrical cool, easeful runs sweeping through harmonies that keep you subtly challenged without scaring the horses: in fact, they'd saunter over and cock an ear, so alluring is the James/East combo. The title track, with the two twinning melody lines like Shearing did with his bassist, is another treat. And like Shearing, James’ love for a melody has grown deeper with the years. The kind of release that has Grammy nomination written right through it, but for once here's a release that deserves such recognition.