Pianist Matt Carter comes bursting out from the Royal Academy with an impressive CV already to hand; it includes stints playing pop-soul with barefooted star chanteuse Joss Stone and ferocious gospel inflected funk with UK vocalist- songwriter Ashton Jones.

For this project, he eschews the pop and flies the flag for unabashed, high-end mainstream jazz, complete with Neal Hefti compositions, Golden Age standards, lush horn arrangements, flamboyant drum breaks and plenty of hot solos amid the ultra-hip, finger-clicking ensemble parts. Venerable mainstays like ‘They Can't Take That Away From Me’ and ‘But Not For Me’ are put up on the ramp and given a shiny re-spray and recondition job, with Carter always finding a new harmonic twist to enliven the arrangements.

This isn't a mere exercise in nostalgia, though: over half the album comprises original material, from the 1970s TV-theme funk of ‘Fighting Talk’ to the incongruously festive but ultimately very lovely ‘High Germany’, with its unusual mix of brass band sonorities and buoyant 12/8 groove. The mood is predominantly bright and breezy, though the suitably stately ‘Duke's Mood’ offers a brief oasis of contemplation, adorned by Harry Maund's expressive trombone. It all adds up to a highly palatable, uplifting experience, with Carter and cohort making it all seem so effortless that it's easy to overlook the hours of hard graft you need to put in to get something of this quality.

All the soloists acquit themselves with distinction, including the rhythm players, with altoist Tom Smith maybe a breath ahead as the standout, and Carter's own piano is as tasteful and neatly phrased as you could wish. Props to him for creating such an enjoyable showcase for such an impressive array of young talent. To seal the deal, there's a guest appearance from that inexhaustible supporter of young UK jazz talent, Gareth Lockrane, whose own Big Band sets the bar for this kind of joyous collective workout.