The sub-title of this compilation, Brooklyn In The 1980s, is not insignificant. For while the term M-Base has become a byword for a particular school in jazz perhaps the most effective way to summarise the music that fell under that umbrella is by reference to a specific time and space. It was very much a New York sound of the Reagan decade, and although Steve Coleman was the figurehead, the many other musicians with whom he was associated also had very strong personalities. Hence the received wisdom that there was a signature style of unconventional meters and off-kilter harmonies is erroneous, as is the claim that Coleman was some kind of anti-Wynton, for if there is one thing that stands out it is the fact that there was common ground with regard to historical sources, namely swing and bebop. It's just that each was deploying them in very different ways. There is a degree of straightahead playing on various tracks here that is invigorating, but, ultimately, what emerges from this collection is the wide stylistic spectrum covered by the likes of Coleman and Greg Osby, Geri Allen, Jean-Paul Bourelly, Robin Eubanks and Gary Thomas. Also striking is the contribution of very accomplished sidemen such as Lonnie Plaxico, Mark Johnson, Kevin Bruce Harris and Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith. Now there's a name that really should be heard more often.