Having graduated from Trinity Laban in 2005, the double bassist Matt Ridley started on what, in a previous era, might be described as a real jazz education spending lengthy periods in the bands of pianists Darius Brubeck and Michael Garrick – including the latter’s MJQ tribute which he fronted following the pianist’s death – before doing his own thing and forming a piano trio in 2013. For his debut Thymos the bassist-composer took his inspiration in large part from Middle-Eastern rooted music. For the second release Mettã, Ridley’s compositions lean towards a kind of contemporary Euro post-bop lyricism but with an infectious, occasionally Phronesis-like latin/Brazilian percussive undercurrent coming from the tightly-knit rhythm section of the eloquent bassist and his drummer, George Hart. It’s a top quality UK line-up of contrasting characters featuring the densely explorative saxophonist Jason Yarde (who was a guest on the debut) on soprano and the elegantly mellifluous John Taylor- influenced John Turville on piano.