You know you must be doing something right when you get to work with the same rhythm section as Wayne Shorter. This is Venezuela-born pianist Edward Simon’s third outing with John Patitucci and Brian Blade, and the live context really gives the trio the space and freedom to stretch out, to impressive effect. No wheels are reinvented in the course of this swinging set, but Simon – a mainstay of the SFJAZZ Collective – and his collaborators still manage to offer a masterclass in the art of improvisatory thinking and empathetic interplay. Three of the five numbers (only one clocks in at under 10 minutes, and that runs at a still fairly epic eight minutes 32 seconds) are previously recorded Simon originals; the other material consists of Jobim’s ‘Chovendo na Roseira’ and Coltrane’s ‘Giant Steps’. Blade is a visceral performer; Simon is more obviously cerebral in his approach, but the contrast proves richly rewarding on the likes of closer ‘Pere’.