The opening track of trombonist Dave Sear’s debut album pretty much sets out his wares: 'Reservoir Retreat'’s tightly-written meandering unison of trombone and bass springs into a catchy quintet number in classic hard bop style, driven by fast and snappy bass and drums.

Flamboyant solos from trumpet and piano are linked by more orchestrated unison playing before the catchy tune returns for a brisk and tidy end. It’s all very lively, full of clever stuff and solidly rooted in jazz heritage, not least the big band music that helped shape Sear’s musical development. Things do get looser – the title track gets some Monkish rhythmic deconstruction from Elliott Samson’s piano while ‘Eyes That Speak a Thousand Words’ is a slow cooker suggesting a Sun Ra meditation or maybe In A Silent Way – but you feel the band are most at home once they get a bit of a swing going. And with the ever-awesome pairing of James Owston and Jim Bashford on bass and drums, there’s plenty of that to be had, gleefully abetted by Samson on tracks like ‘Visual Balance’ and Joe Henderson’s ‘Inner Urge’ where the piano rises up to punctuate the intricate brass with majestic harmonics. Naturally, Percy Pusglove’s trumpet is all over that latter tune but, while ever the bandleader, Sear’s own soloing throughout is fine and concise, nicely articulated and full of ideas, and this highly listenable album’s clear stylistic personality reflects a musical vision that knows where it is going.