Contemporary guitarist David Preston wears his influences – Frisell? Metheny? Holdsworth? – lightly throughout this album’s second helping of tunes recorded over two days in October 2021.

His quartet, including long-time bass guitar collaborator Kevin Glasgow alongside Kit Downes on piano and Sebastian Rochford’s drumming, is an all-star line-up, to be sure. Even by their standards, however, to have knocked out 20 of Preston’s tightly composed numbers with such aplomb in so short a time is a real achievement.

In comparison to Volume 1’s upbeat selection this album has a more reflective quality, opening gently with ‘Ostina’, elegantly modulating guitar arpeggios gradually welcoming the other players. That introduction establishes a tone of uncluttered restraint and melodic deftness for ‘When You Were Real'’s lightly elaborated wistfulness or the proto-cocktail jazziness of ‘Roma’.

There is nothing ostentatious on display, rather a willingness to hold the line: even the usually flamboyant Glasgow keeps a monotone bass pulse throughout the elegiac ‘Ennio’ while Rochford plods with steady care through most of ‘Karma Radio’. The stylistic empathy between guitar and piano defines the sound world, their nicely matched solo voices woven between unison passages, and all is enhanced by the album’s warmly clear production.