Though John Turville is one of the UK jazz scene's most perceptive heirs to the piano legacy of his former teacher, the late John Taylor, he's been a slow-burner when it comes to putting his work on record. Head First (which we regrettably missed during this magazine's office reshuffle when it was released in February) is only Turville's third album in getting on for two decades, but it has been worth the wait. Despite his diverse affections for contemporary-classical, French Romantic and modern-latin music, he vividly recharges the classic sax-and-trumpet-led jazz format here, with a terrific line-up including Julian Argüelles and Robbie Robson on horns. The title-track is a playful twist on the name of Fred Hersch, another of Turville's favourite pianists, and the American's vivacious balance of melodic intricacy and groove is elegantly reflected in this light-stepping samba. The horn-riffing ‘Fall Out’ is snappily adapted from a Turville big-band chart, ‘Ennerdale’ is elegiacally Taylor-esque, Argüelles is fast, supple and rich-toned on tenor during the later stages of the initially free-contrapuntal A Month In Tunisia’, and Robson and Turville curl smokily around each other on Buenos Aires composer Diego Schissi's ‘Cancion 4’. If this much diversity of ideas is always rattling around in John Turville's head, he might need to bring out Head First's follow-up a little sooner.