Ubiquity is one of the major problems jaz.z musicians face in the UK once they achieve a degree of national recognition (more so now that continental touring effectively ended with Brexit).

Once you become a familiar face on the jazz circuit, you are pigeonholed into this stylistic box or that. One way to break-out of this impasse is to change your musical backdrop as to invalidate any audience preconceptions.

Mark Lockheart, who has achieved this neat trick before, comes up with a really interesting piece of work with Smiling. From the modest opening figures of ‘Morning Smiles’ it evolves in a way that makes use of the expanded harmonic palette the permutation of instruments Lockheart has chosen, and as the album develops from track to track it is apparent he has come up with a very personal and original slant on the use of jazz improvisation and harmonies over a rock-influenced rhythmic conception.

You just get the feeling that if Lockheart could tour this band it would make for a really absorbing and unique concert presentation.