Mansfield is not one to let the grass grow under his feet, and this release comes hot on the heels of his last release of chamber-jazz, as the latest in a long line of diverse projects that often showcase his compositional and arranging skills, as with his mighty Elftet project.

This recording features him at the helm of a quartet of his equally youthful peers, live in concert. The super-tight execution of the knotty theme that closes ‘Rivals’ shows that control and arrangement are still important parts of his musicality, but the live format, and the intimacy of the quartet setting, allows the music to really stretch out, breathe, and canter gaily into new pastures.

It’s all the better for it: while everyone contributes some bravura solos, it’s the empathy and mutual understanding of the quartet that really shines through. Drummer Luke McCarthy really builds up an impressive head of steam: superb bassist Will Sach is thoughtful, solid and utterly musical, both as a solo voice and when supplying the vital connective tissue that holds the ensemble together: and the interplay between Mansfield and Will Barry is always satisfying and sometimes breathtaking in its strength and subtlety.

The compositions are strong and characterful, but also open-ended and exploratory enough to let the band really inhabit them. Fans of unlikely genre crossovers may be disappointed that ‘REM Song’ is not a tribute to Messrs Stipe and co, but aficionados of 1960s Blue Note will be delighted at its swinging evocation of the great Hancock/Hutcherson partnership. Really outstanding.