Brian Charette keeps you on your toes: last time he was on Steeplechase he was roogalating with a big band: now he's pared it down to a wind ensemble. One consequence is it's left him with the bass work plus plenty of harmonic underpinning. But he's quirkily happy with that: check out the almost child-like simplicity of ‘Want' where like an earnest youngster he unabashedly repeats a bare chord figure while the various wind instruments jaunt and dance around him.

By contrast the bluesy groove of ‘Harlem Nocturne' is delivered with a mix of knowing melodrama and easeful swing: all the cliches are there but delivered with a respectful swagger. That vibe's pumped up further on a swingsome take on ‘Cherokee' which is a rare feature for Charette himself.

That Charette can hold all these positions at once – showboating performer, soul-jazz groover yet artsome arranger – makes Power from the Air a frustrating affair at times: ‘Will the real Brian Charette stand up please!'

But there's no denying this is music of a certain mainstream surprise. It's best encapsulated on the tight but inevitably lithe title track where the flute, horn and notably Ruzica's bass clarinet revel in the prairie wide space Charette affords them.