Aldo Romano is a no-frills Italian-born, French-based drummer who's been a lynchpin in bands such as those of Henri Texier and Louis Sclavis. Yet his own recordings as leader since 1979 have proved more modest affairs. This new recording doesn't change things in that respect but it has a relaxed, uplifting vibe about it (which is fresh in its own way) and the line up is top class. Featuring the sturdy work of the flexible French bassist Thomas Bramerie, long-term collaborator, the Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava and the elegant new French star pianist Baptiste Trotignon, Romano's originals (aside from a few old chestnuts from the American Songbook) touch on the melodies of French and Italian folk song through to north African and tango. But the drummer's preference for a traditional pulse-keeping role and Bramerie's sturdy bass work means the CD is mostly anchored by reliable grooves and straight ahead swing. Romano is an unassuming leader and the young Trotignon, who has proved himself a leader/pianist for the future on some effervescent recordings of his own, is at the centre of a few originals in which he shows elegance and vitality in the methods by which he draws from the work of both Jarrett and Mehldau. Not an attention-grabbing set by any means, and certainly not as inspirational as it might look on paper, Inner Smile is nonetheless heartfelt jazz that's created in the right spirit.