Reviewing Grasso’s last release, a solo guitar album dedicated to Bud Powell, and showing artistic interaction between subject and performer at every level, there seemed plenty to look forward to in his planned exploration of Duke Ellington. Sadly, despite some fine solo tracks, this record does not live up to its predecessor. The trio, with bassist Roland and drummer Balla, turn Grasso’s playing into something resembling a jam in the back room of a pub. Where he found new things to explore in Powell’s music, the opening track here, ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing’ is pretty much a retread of this old warhorse. And deeply personal as Sheila Jordan’s delivery has always been, her feature ‘Mood Indigo’ is far from her finest work, seemingly focusing on her mannerisms rather than the core of the piece.

By contrast, 21-year-old singer Samara Joy’s version of ‘In My Solitude’ digs deep into the song, and draws some of Grasso’s finest playing on the album, both as sensitive accompanist and fellow explorer of the melancholy she brilliantly projects in her vocal.

Another highlight is a dazzling solo version of ‘Day Dream’, where, just as on the Powell album, Grasso manages to keep two (and sometimes three) musical ideas running at the same time. Maybe the lesson here is to play to his considerable strengths as a solo virtuoso, and leave the trio for live gigs rather than the forensic glare of the studio.