It is quite probable that Carla Bley has lost count of the number of people who have recorded her compositions, which comprise some of the most distinguished in jazz. Most are memorable and others delightfully off-centre, covering a wide spectrum of expressionism from music with theatrical and satirical overtones to thoughtful, probing melodies that work their way inside your consciousness and take root there. Certainly, this album of her originals is revealing of her range and it takes it place among her finest work. The album’s centrepiece is ‘Les Trois Lagons (d’aprés Henri Matisse’), a composition in three parts that also reveals what an exquisite saxophonist her long time collaborator Andy Sheppard is (yes, he’s been working with Bley for over 20 years) and how he has developed a remarkable understanding of both Bley the pianist and Bley the composer. Ultimately though, it is the compositions themselves that take centre stage and the way each musician works towards illuminating their interior detail; for those familiar with Tony Williams’ Lifetime, for example, the realisation here of ‘Vashkar’ will come as a revelation.