Stylised jazz sub-genres hold little sway for many of the newer generation of improvising musicians and Nick Malcolm is a case in point. The trumpeter-composer’s roles as sideman have been as diverse as any young jazz-schooled artist and his own recordings as leader are no exception. Inhabiting a similar universe as alt. contemporary jazz trumpet aces such as Ambrose Akinmusire and Ralph Alessi, both of whom he’s previously studied with, Malcolm also has a penchant for the song format, having had experience performing with folk singer-songwriter Eliza Carthy, and the Emily Wright-fronted ensemble Moonlight Saving Time. Indeed, half of his quartet’s third album, Real Isn’t Real, includes a diverse set of guest vocalists from the Panacea-ish avant-funk of ‘Silent Grace’ sung by Marie Lister, through to ‘Grass Remembers’ by folk singer Josienne Clarke which has leading Brit pianist Alexander Hawkins on pump organ, and the title-track sung by the impressive Blue Eyed Hawk and Snowpoet vocalist Lauren Kinsella. Alongside these, Malcolm reinterprets the songs as vehicles for instrumental improvisation with his compositions influenced by everything from free bop and the Chicago avant-garde through to more neo-soul and funky hip-hop contexts. The musicians pull the music in different idiomatic directions while developing a cohesive unifying narrative. It’s new generation jazz without compromise.