NYSQ – that’s the New York Standards Quartet to you and me – scored a hit with their initial Whirlwind release called The New Straight Ahead. So the question is, have they done it again? Yes, for sure, but with Janisch on bass in place of Daiki Yasukagawa, the same balance between calm reflection and tempestuous energy still in place, this baker’s dozen of pieces taking in band originals and classic standards, some quite short, others more intensely explored. Inevitably, Armacost is the first voice one hears, in fluent form on tenor, contemporary and invigorating, in the opening ‘Deep High Wide Sky’ by Berkman, before he plays a perfect short version of ‘How Deep is the Ocean’ and then picks up his soprano for the quartet’s reimagining of the timeless ‘All of Me’, eloquent and quite magical, Jackson cross-hatching as Janisch anchors things. Armacost and Berkman are clever players, each adept at prompting the other, always alert to the possibilities of a tune, stretching the harmonies and playing games with the beat. I loved their version of ‘Embraceable You’, soprano uppermost, the lines inventively harmonised, Berkman all grace and fervour, before Armacost resumes on tenor. There’s also a marvellous version of ‘Lush Life’ which toys with tempo and builds brilliantly and a final version of ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’, softly taken, which will stay in the memory for a long time to come. By the time you read this review, this well-established band – ‘still together (after ten years) and going strong’ in Berkman’s words – will have toured the UK. If you missed them, here’s your chance to check them out. Well worth the effort, that’s for sure.