I’ve enjoyed hearing these musicians operate in other combinations and contexts – witness, for example, the striking originality of Tom Rainey and Ingrid Laubrock working as Sleepthief, with the British pianist Liam Noble – but this second outing on record from Rainey’s group Obbligato didn’t do it for me. If you’re going to play standards like ‘Stella by Starlight’, ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’ and ‘I Fall In Love Too Easily’ these days, you’d better have something meaningful to say about them to sidestep those dual dangers of smart-arse postmodern irony and/ or retro-academism. No one could accuse Obbligato of being ironic. This music is, in fact, in desperate need of, if not MOPDtK-style belly laughs, then at least the occasional passing smile or acknowledgement that playing jazz need not be such a grimly determined pursuit of joining the correct dots. ‘Stella by Starlight’ and Sam Rivers’ ‘Beatrice’ are rooted in the soundworld of the Miles Davis Quintet with Wayne Shorter, except that Ralph Alessi’s persistent squeezing notes out of the high-register becomes an irritating mannerism. Laubrock is forever thoughtful and resourceful, but there’s not much to be gained from having her re-tread well worn ballad formats; Bob Haggart’s ‘What’s New’ gets weighed down by Kris Davis’ schooled, overly precious chord voicings. Back, I think, to those other combinations and contexts.