It’s taken a while for this to emerge but the wait was worth it. Something of a reunion of old bandstand friends, this whole album fairly crackles with good intentions and spirited outcomes. The mix of musicians is canny, established and emerging, with an emphasis on momentum and clever creativity. Clearly a collective effort, with all but one of the nine pieces composed by band members, the highlights include the full-on swing of Tracey’s ‘The Mighty Sas’, and an 11-minute exploration of British bandleader Ray Noble’s time-honoured ‘Cherokee’ (deftly arranged by Allen) with O’Higgins and Melling exploring the theme in joyous manner, before Armstrong and Bassey trade choruses. Add in a quirky blues by Melling, Gascoyne’s correctly-titled ‘Swing Thing’ and Armstrong’s perky original ‘The Man In The Can’ (recently heard on the trumpeter’s own quartet CD) and you have a reassuring and thoroughly enjoyable encounter with some of our best jazz talents. If this is hard bop, then it’s pretty easy to enjoy. Great to hear Armstrong and Allen taking wing, the always thoughtful Bassey and the alternating tenors, O’Higgins in commanding form throughout, plus a rhythm section that knows what to do and does it well. Sharp ensemble playing, inspiring solo work and the kind of writing that goes way beyond the back-of-a-fag packet sketch: when (and where) can I hear this band live?