There may be a great divide between uptempo anthem and downtempo ballad in jazz, but over time many have bridged the gap. Whether by accident or design, Mark Turner, a modern tenor titan whose profile is perhaps not quite in line with his prodigious talent, adds to the canon with this quite sumptuous offering. On the bulk of the tracks there is a floating, hovering quality in the rhythm and time, which stems from a kind of gentle-but-firm medium fast pulse that creates space and airiness that serve the contemplative, elegiac nature of the music. Long tones; purred unison lines; stately melodies executed with a laser-like intonation that loosely evokes a union of Kenny Wheeler and Dewey Redman: all of these marks of distinction are immediate but it is on further listening that the advanced creative subtleties of the ensemble come to light. Avishai Cohen's wonderfully broad-timbre brass is like a glowing blanket around Turner's reed, which pulls off the trick of blending sensitivity and muscularity with as much wherewithal as on previous outings such as 2001's Dharma Days. As for Marcus Gilmore and Joe Martin they are a supple and sophisticated drums-bass axis, with the former's mercurial accenting and the latter's singing commentary on the beat further embellishing the tableaux of horns. Their counter-melodic roles are finely balanced and well executed. Through his work with Fly and Billy Hart's quartet Turner has proved that he is a responsive and attentive accompanist, and what this album shows is how much he has retained those qualities in the role of leader, all the while bringing his wholly individual narrative voice to the fore. It takes an artist of integrity to do as much, and he is that and more.