During lockdown, Emmet Cohen established one of the world's most regularly watched online jazz shows, with the encouragement of ‘vibe provider’ Michael Funmi Ononaiye, the producer and A&R man, one-time programmer at New York's Dizzy's Club. Funmi died in January 2024, so this album is a tribute, but it's also a fine collection of tracks by Cohen's trio, as well as three pieces for larger forces.

Both elements of the record work well, with the octet arrangements being both neat and exciting. On the title track there's some fine playing from Pennicott, and Cohen's following solo neatly picks up some of the lines from the tenor choruses.

But the trio tracks are what make the album, and whereas I have been critical of some ‘historical’ aspects of Cohen's earlier work, there are no such scruples here: this is a mature, beautifully-balanced small group. The leap into a headlong tempo on ‘If This Isn’t Love’ is brilliantly handled, while the opening ‘Lion Song’ combines a slightly wistful quality with underlying strength. Similarly ‘Time on My Hands’ runs through some interesting ideas in the set-up until it settles into a fulfilling, elegant mid-tempo performance.

The record winds up with the larger band back for a blues, with some natty opening riffs leading into Harris on fine solo form, and Lacy following on, maybe displaying less extrovert form than he sometimes does, but leading well into the tenor and piano choruses, before some stimulating exchanges with Farnsworth's drums. Overall a polished and rewarding album, that looks back at the tradition through contemporary eyes.