A much-admired sideman to the legendary Enrico Rava and acclaimed leader in his own right, Italian pianist Giovanni Guidi heads an A-list international quartet on this accomplished, enjoyable set. He is joined by Portugese drummer Joao Lobo and two Americans, double bassist Thomas Morgan and tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, on music that is downtempo, but often has strong currents of energy just below the surface.

A case in point is ‘Means For A Rescue’, which has a disturbingly icy water-drop loop that gives the impression that the players are deep in a dark rock pool or cave-cum-echo chamber, a scene of danger, as the title suggests, for which the band makes some masterfully evocative statements around the central pulse, a heartbeat that refuses to fade.

Guidi has a particularly strong tremolo and trill, the notes attacked forcefully to disrupt the grand stillness created by Lobo’s artfully hesitant snare and Morgan’s spare but fibrous bass, and together they create a quite compelling ballad of rising and falling tension.

When Lewis is heard on pieces such as ‘Only Sometimes’ he regulates his tonal strength with sensitivity, and also teases out discreet themes and counter-melodies on a daringly re-harmonised ‘My Funny Valentine’, enhancing the band’s unfamiliar way into the familiar anthem, tempering the pathos with an impish joy. An impressive showing from a stellar international combo.