A third run out for Costley-White following 2018’s Detour Ahead, also with Chaplin on bass, and Nice Work! a trio work out. Poncha shares some understandable resonances with the earlier works: a respect for the bop tradition and a relish for a clean, sophisticated tone that Herb Ellis would have appreciated.

Poncha pushes this further though, bringing Latin rhythms (or inflections thereof) as an undertow to bop chases, while there’s more of Costley-White’s own material on board. Moreover, the princely tones of Julian Siegel are very at home here, while Maddren’s facility to play intensely yet at almost whisperingly low volumes again bigs up Costley-White’s playing and vision. So ‘M-Face’ (ah, what happened to M-Base?) features a sinewy bop line, but elegantly compacted, as though someone had origamied a Charlie Parker tune. ‘Gozo’ is more melodic, with Maddren purring away, but ‘Noites No Parao’ most obviously charges boppishly over Cuban rhythms while Maddren elegantly brushes along.

By contrast ‘Sputnik Sweetheart’ is a stately ballad; you don’t readily pair Siegel with Hank Mobley, but his presence lifts Costley-White. The latter is not exactly one to wig out, although ‘You Sod!’ has a bit of edge; but overall, this is cool, sophisticated and elegant ensemble playing with Costley-White moving up another league.