Giovanni Tommaso might be a name unfamiliar to some UK listeners, but he is regarded by many in Italy as the country’s leading jazz bassist. And he also founded Perigeo, the well-known fusion band. But he has a parallel career, often working with Ennio Morricone as a studio player on his sessions, and in many cases scoring films himself, on which he also played.

This 1986 session was celebrated at the time for seeing his return to acoustic jazz with a band of younger players who were all in their twenties. The youngest was 25-year-old Paolo Fresu, whose sparkling trumpet work shines throughout, notably in a long and varied solo on ‘Formiche’. The quintet plays fast action-packed pieces with great verve – notably the opening ‘Meet You On The Way’ with some excellent drumming from Gatto both in the ensemble and his solo segments. Yet it also stretches out on the romantic ballad ‘Amore, Toujour L’Amour’ which is a feature for Urbani’s alto.

By contrast ‘Take The Money…and Spend It!’ is more akin to a film score, developing as a sonic story, from its low-key opening leading to some ensemble bridge passages and then a strong pair of solos from the horns over a vibrant back-beat from Gatto. Then Rea and Tommaso wrap things up, reminding us how excellently they have played throughout. By the time we arrive at the closing ‘Sixteen Blues’ the quintet has held the listener’s interest from the first note of the disc to the last, with plenty of variety but an identifiable collective personality that sits on the cusp between straight-ahead jazz and more adventurous music.