The remarkable Paris-born acoustic bassist is now in his 71st year but thankfully shows no signs of slowing up. This is his second release in as many months. Part of a series titled ‘European Jazz Legends’, this is a live recording (although this set has an overlap in terms of tracks with the earlier, equally arresting 2016 studio release titled Sky Dances) from the Theater Gütersloh in the NRW region of Germany. Texier’s bass has the history of jazz in its richly-nuanced vibrations and is always a joy to hear and the longevity of his quality band is the key to its close rapport. ‘O Elvin’ captures the elemental drive of its dedicatee; Texier’s affiliations to West Coast cool reverberate through ‘Hopi’ with the elegantly- weaving counterpoint of Texier Jr’s clarinet and Corneloup’s baritone sax a big plus; and on the heady title track Texier’s strong North African and Caribbean music affiliations are never far away. Texier’s stage announcements are intact and there’s also a curious interview of just seven minutes in length at the rear of the CD, half of which he spends answering questions about his trademark headgear. Still it’s an essential companion CD to the earlier studio set on Sky Dancers by a jazz elder statesman still at the top of his game.