Thirsty Ear fans may well recall Carter and Parker working a lot together in the heyday of The Blue Series, but this is the first time that the veteran Americans have committed anything to tape with the young Italian drummer Ughi. It's a live session that has much to commend, no more so than the moments of virtuosity from the individuals, particularly Carter, whose flinty, piercing alto is a joy. The three have come together with a fair amount of empathy but the main problem is not how they play. It is what. The six-piece set bears all of the marks of distinction one would expect from players of this calibre – sharp passages of on-the-boil rubato; bursts of loose, but hearty swing; deep contemplation from both Parker's flute and Carter's horn – yet the composing intermittently underwhelms, and the first part of the gig lacks the necessary pacing and narrative strength to make it translate well to the more neutral setting of a CD. It is really towards the end of proceedings, when the trio plays the gripping ‘Runnin' Home’, that things start to take off. On this piece the handling of tempo is more assured and the crescendos are more engaging, partly because Ughi's snare and cymbal work is at its most potent. It feels like the beginning of the concert in earnest, but, frustratingly, it is the end. Turn this into a studio date with the set list in reverse order and these bare bones of good sound could turn into a body of memorable music.