New Yorker Byars says this isn’t old style R&B that he is offering here, rather it's a series of his distinctive originals which happen to use ‘Rhythm’ changes or which echo the blues. And by ‘the 20s’, he means the 2020s.

Consider the frontline formation too: alto, tenor, bass clarinet and trombone, Byars’ clever writing sometimes suggesting a big band sax section, at others a light-touch Birth of the Cool feeling, albeit without a trumpet in sight.

‘Salute to the Mailbox’ is inspired by a Gigi Gryce number and proves to be a sunny piece, with Nasser sailing through in Bird fashion, preceding Byars’ supple tenor and Mosca's tip-toe trombone before a lugubrious arco bass solo. Neil Tesser's useful note explains the harmonic niceties for each of Byars' tunes and highlights what he calls ‘the concise, pithy solos’. These come into focus on the bluesy ‘New Cards’, Doglioni soloing with a casual ease that belies his instrument's more sombre character, the background writing moving well. ‘Minor Miracle’ moves the Rhythm changes from major to minor which may be new: Doglioni up first, Nassser again effusive, the backgrounds and thematic intricacies crisply handled, even if Mosca's high-note ruminations and the arco bass don’t seem to offer much.

There's a different mood with ‘Sincerely Yours’, soft-voiced but perky, off-kilter says Tesser, and he's right. Much the same applies for all nine of Byars’ imaginative themes; the only ringer is Freddie Redd's ‘Farewell to Sweden’, the album's closer, Byars cresting the wave ably. Intriguing, thoughtful music.