Yuri Goloubev, the Moscow-born classical bassist who became a sought-after jazz player following his move to Italy in 2004, has made his presence powerfully felt all over Europe and the UK – notably through much-acclaimed work with UK pianists including Gwilym Simcock and John Law. Two Chevrons Apart finds him leading a powerful quartet with saxophonist Tim Garland, pianist John Turville, and his exciting regular percussionist Asaf Sirkis.

All eight tracks are Goloubev originals, with Garland’s shimmering soprano sax tone prominent on five of them - but though they mix pretty and romantically slow melodies with a few punchier themes, the pieces seem primarily designed as vehicles for blowing, which all the participants inventively do. ‘Beethoven and Schubert: Friends?’ highlights Goloubev’s remarkable, elastically flexible pizzicato, the title’s gracefully flowing ballad is borne on the breeze of Garland’s soprano, and the piano-trio feature ‘Cemetery Symmetry’ blossoms over a slow-striding, engagingly dirgey pulse. ‘Sweet Nothings’ is a breezy 2/4 bounce that the improvisers swerve away from and return to, and ‘Parisian Episode VII’ is a reflective soprano-led finale. The improvising is terrific, and Goloubev’s precision and drive irresistable, though it’s hard not to feel that with two such fine composers as Tim Garland and John Turville in the group, the leader might fruitfully have spread the writing duties a little wider.