This is the third instalment in the In Common project, in which Smith and Stevens assemble a new lineup for the sole purpose of discovering the sparks that occur when putting musicians in a room together to record an impromptu set of original material. This time round it’s a stellar cross-generational band featuring Holland, Carrington and Davis. This one, as with previous In Common releases, covers numerous bases with influences including country blues, post-rock and jazz embracing the avant-garde through to fusion and easy-going latin-grooves, but always with unexpected twists and turns in the performances. Hence standout tracks such as Stevens’ ‘Reds’ sounds like Monk had he joined a funky fusion band; his understated country-blues twang on ‘Loping’ is oddly the perfect vehicle for Smith’s tender jazz sax lyricism. Elsewhere the cool West Coast-ish ‘Familiar’ features a gripping dialogue between Dave Holland and the tenor man, and Stevens’ ballad ‘Miserere’ with its touching, elegiac tone brings things to a natural close. As you might expect, Holland and Carrington, who hadn’t played together previously, are a tightly-knit groove machine. Four free-improv tracks for sax-guitar-piano are a welcome diversion. There are a few misses, but In Common is in the business of taking risks.