Jim Hart might best be known as one of the leading practitioners on the vibraphone in the UK, but with his Cloudmakers Trio's second album release he steps up to the mark as both a composer and leader. Abstract Forces follows Live at the Pizza Express in 2010 (though released two years later) that featured the penetrating tones of New York-based trumpeter Ralph Alessi. But that CD's ‘live’ context and pivotal role for Alessi gave it a different group dynamic to this new one. Following four years of on-andoff rehearsal together, the line up of just vibraphone, bass and drums is more focussed, lending the recording a highly pulsating, compact groove and sonic punch. The other two band members are the Whirlwind label boss/US-born-and-bred London-resident bassist Michael Janisch and the drummer Dave Smith, who like Hart, was a North London LOOP Collective founding member, now making a name for himself playing alongside rock royalty in Robert Plant's band. The Plant connection seems to have rubbed off on the darkly-hued avant funk-rock blast of opener ‘Snaggletooth’, on which Smith spits out grooves with a sonic bite that's reminiscent of New York's Jim Black. On his excellent set of hypnotic, slyly melodic originals, Hart also demonstrates an astute economy of expression when opening up the vibraphone palette to additional sonic colours. ‘Post Stone’ opens with a pointillist percussive texture welding together sonic abstractions from both African and contemporary classical music. Other standouts include the spookily impressionistic ‘Ramprasad’ and the chilled spy-jazz avant-groover ‘Early Hours’. There's never a dull moment. It's one of the most exciting and persuasive jazz albums to have come out of the UK's recording studios so far this year.