It can't be easy following Tony Bennett, but that's what the jazz/post-rock NCT did at Montreux's Miles Davis Hall last July. Subtle opener ‘Lament’ unfortunately comes a bit too close to TV ad music for comfort but the complex, stirring ‘Rooster Is a Witness’ is a highlight, although Evan Jenkins struggles to unleash his inner Stewart Copeland. ‘Distance By Clockwork’ mines an elegant minimalism with a rippling piano figure from Cowley; ‘Hug The Greyhound’ delivers some intriguing Django Bates-ish harmonic quirkiness while ‘Hope Machine’ is charming with its Madness/Kinks drums and playful melody. But it's puzzling why Cowley's repartee has been edited out – it might have added spice and variety. And while the strings add variation, the overall effect is rather twee, closer to the Penguin Cafe Orchestra than Glass or Reich. And finally, for a pianist so fond of space, Cowley barely lets up for the whole 75 minutes. You may well be yearning to hear something more red-blooded by the end but Cowley must be commended for coming up with some genuinely ‘British’ jazz. Best go for the accompanying DVD though.