Tom Syson, the trumpet lead in the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra, opened his account as leader in an assertive manner with an auspicious debut, Green, in 2017, and continues to impress on new release Different Coloured Days His playing and writing has something of the oblique, raw intensity of an Ambrose Akinmusire or early Dave Douglas, as well as the more meditatively atmospheric European-isms of a Kenny Wheeler or Tomasz Stańko. The award-winning propulsive drummer Jonathan Silk – him and Syson are both graduates from Birmingham Conservatoire in 2015 – has a forceful presence here and the saxophonist Tom Barford, who met the trumpeter on the NYJO bandstand, demonstrates his expressive, silky post-bop approach. Syson's creative flair is apparent on some entrancing originals with their pastorally melodic twists and turns and his quite stimulating three-dimensional soloing. There's no doubt we'll be hearing plenty more from Tom Syson in the near future.