Guitarist Leo Appleyard makes his debut as a leader on CD with this thoughtful collection of eight originals and one standard, Victor Schertzinger's ‘I Remember You’. Perhaps the most successful tracks are the three that involve trumpeter Neil Yates, whose affinity with the guitar was displayed most memorably on his own Five Countries (Edition). Certainly, ‘The Cleaver’ seems to provoke Appleyard's most telling solo of the album, followed by Yates' assured melodicism that captures the mood of the piece perfectly. ‘Mass’, written with Yates in mind with its consciously ‘folksy’ allusions, makes its case in a gentle and understated way while the title track's convoluted theme is contrasted by a cut ‘n’ splice interlude of solos that leave the main theme's purpose in doubt. Other pieces, such as ‘The Homeless Wizard’ are perhaps less successful and sound a little overworked, reaching for contemporaneity with mood changes and shifts of meter at the expense of melodic development. It is interesting that Appleyard notes that, ‘Today's audience is moving away from standards’, something that has been happening for a while now, but audiences still want melodies they can cling to, something contemporary jazz composition is prone to forget.