Vache and Barnes are chums, birds of a feather, if you like, and there's a lot of mutual respect evident in this recording. As Vache puts it in his extensive album note, ‘Alan is a musician of singular quality and intensity, and we all want to do our best when with him’. So, a genuine partnership then. And how well it works, right from the off. There's energy evident on the up-tempo things as well as balanced ballad playing, as on the lovely ‘Just A Mood’ by the late Benny Carter, these serendipitous tune choices selected to guarantee above-average creativity. Pearce hits the ground running on Oscar Pettiford's ‘Swingin’ Til The Girls Come Home', foregrounding a joint reading of this jaunty tune that just sounds great, Vache launching into a relaxed yet pungent solo before Barnes hurries in on alto, Scott Hamilton's rhythm section pushing hard. Then again there's Vache's lovely version of ‘The Very Thought of You’, which almost makes me forgive his corny vocal on ‘A Man With a Million Dollars’, this redeemed by some spirited clarinet. Still, if Vache has anything left to prove, then this recording simply underlines how valuable a player he is; no coasting, more a desire to please and surprise. He vocalises again on ‘Too Phat’ and contributes a tasty original called ‘Tuesdayscool’ that moves well, ahead of Ben Webster's romping ‘Walkin’ The Frog', Pearce again incisive and crisp, the Barnes baritone solo appropriately spirited before Vache takes an almost boppish view. Vache cites ‘joy’ in his note and just to hear these two play something swingy like ‘Way Way Back’ is the embodiment of that. One for the best-of-year list.