Every so often, and it's getting more often these days, the ACT label succeeds in coming up with a real gem. Here is one such. The accordion has not got a great track record in jazz – those few players who have emerged tending towards OTT virtuosity. And while Peirani has certainly got the technical equipment, it is his understated use of the instrument and his ability to conceptualise an effective context in which to feature his playing, where this album scores. An exceptional live performer, he easily wins over those have their doubts about the accordion in a jazz context, but what works live does not necessarily translate into an effective recording. Peirani is clearly aware of this, and has come up with a series of original compositions, plus one each by Jeff Buckley and Michel Portal, that come embedded in an overall musical concept that is both effective and wholly absorbing. There are few albums today that you can say ‘there is never a dull moment from start to finish’, but this is one. Well conceived, from the attention getting opener, ‘Suite en V Part 4’ to more thoughtful mood pieces such as ‘On the Heights’, each piece is meticulously arranged in a way that pays careful attention to sound – electronic effects are used, but in a way that perfectly fits the character of the composition – with every musician aware of his role within each piece. Each solo fits the overall context of each tune, and is logically developed in a way that contributes to the story-telling quality of each one — you begin the journey at A, and following highways and byways of ensemble passages and solos you end up a B with a feeling of having got somewhere. The primacy of the composer in creating a vivid musical experience with each song is indicative of the trend in jazz today, away from the soloist to the arranger conceptualist.