It can be an act of courage for a jazz musician to take a rock or pop number and turn it into something else. Popular tunes may last for reasons other than their melodic complexity: few of them nowadays have a Tin Pan Alley, jazz standard, AABA structure.

For ReWired, jazz pianist Janette Mason has taken Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’, lifted it out of its minimoog eeriness, added some subdued drums and skilful bass, varied the chords and the dynamics and made something different – the essence of jazz, new from old, blue from grey. It works powerfully well.

Also impressively restyled is Bowie's ‘John, I’m Only Dancing’; it becomes an Afro-Cuban fantasy, independent of the memory of Bowie’s (oddly compelling) weird reedy vocals. Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Good 4 U’ is transformed, along with bass player Tom Mason and impressive tenorist Paul Booth, into a significant, solid entity. Kate Bush’s ‘Man With The Child In His Eyes’ grows up, with a beautiful bowed-bass solo and some intricate piano work. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ gets augmented chords, a jagged improv break, and a melancholy, Afro-beat slow fade.

There are standards here too: all-time great ‘Lulllaby of Birdland’ is slowed, pared, bass-heavy. ‘Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered’ gets a rippling broken-chord accompaniment in the first section, and intersecting, intricate shifts in time-signature. There’s one original, ‘Prayer for the Planet’, a lush, saxophone-led arrangement with hymn-like vocal background.

One of the most impressive of this year, the album amply rewards repeated listening. Beautifully produced and thoughtfully put together, it’s a tribute to Janette Mason’s distinguished musical career. Long may she continue to put out music of this quality, with this variety.