There’s not much to add to what’s already been written about Kenny Wheeler, the Canadian-by-birth, British-by-adoption composer/band leader/trumpeter and flugelhornist, whose voluminous back catalogue traces (and at key points has determined) the evolution of European jazz across the past six decades, from revivalism, through avant-garde and fusion, to beyond – far beyond. This sparkling ‘new’ set (it was actually recorded five years ago) burnishes his reputation further, without significantly redefining his practice. It captures Wheeler, then in his 79th year, leading a fine sextet through eight of his own compositions (I don’t entirely follow the logic of the title Six by Six; I’m obviously missing something). Opener ‘Seven, Eight, Nine (Part 1)’ begins with a great, splashy explosion by drummer Martin France before Wheeler and saxophonists Stan Sulzmann and Bobby Wellins engage in some rising call-and-response dynamics. Miles Davis, Gil Evans (‘Ballad N. 130’) and McCoy Tyner are among the reference points for a set that has a hint of ecstatic gospelism about it, albeit given a very British (via Canada) twist.