Beautifully recorded and produced by legendary MPS engineer Friedhelm Schulz at the famous MPS Black Forest studio, this stunning-sounding album was made using vintage analogue Telefunken equipment.

Supermodern Vol. II – made to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Modern Jazz Quartet – thrillingly walks a tightrope over that liminal space between the avant-garde and straightahead jazz. The core trio is here augmented by the American-born, German-resident (since 1974) pianist Degen, who seems entirely simpatico with their intent; the result is an enjoyable 17-track set that retains the cool, elegant shimmer of the classic MJQ sound, but infuses it with a pleasing astringency and a real sense of unfettered urgency – it's as if Milt and the boys had been persuaded to ditch the suits and concert halls and let rip as a bunch of scruffs in a smoky club. A worthy follow-up to last year’s Supermodern Vol.1 (another MJQ tribute) and one hopes that there’s more to come.