Mark Springer was pianist with, and a key musical driver of, early 1980s UK avant-garde post-punk outfit Rip Rig + Panic – which also included vocalist Neneh Cherry – and collaborated with her stepfather, Don Cherry. This 1984 album of solo piano pieces was Springer's first statement following the group's break up the previous year and, clearly, he was ready to stretch out into more challenging terrain. Across these semi-improvised pieces, Springer displays a wry intelligence and a natural talent for storytelling – embellishing the bare bones of a composition with spontaneous digressions and witty commentary reminiscent of some of Paul Bley's solo work. There's some impressive technique here too, whether engaged in limpid prettiness, swift left-hand splashes or teetering melodrama. The addition of six new tracks shows a continued and refined preoccupation with many of the same musical ideas, approached with a more mellowed and unhurried attitude but still shining an inquisitive light into the corners of his own imagination.