Generally speaking, the quartet is saxophone-led these days. But a four-piece headed by a trumpet has much to commend it. Nick Malcolm makes a compelling case for the format here, astutely using the natural brightness of the instrument but also bringing out the richness of the lower register with impressive skill to cover the absence of ‘heaviness’ that would have been supplied by an additional reed, had he opted for a quintet. There is a distinctly broody, dark hue to some of his lines that enhances the full, muscular sound of the ensemble, but leader and accompanists move nimbly towards lighter, airier climes throughout the session. If the playing, both forceful and sensitive, is impressive, then the writing is no less so, and Malcolm draws equally on the lyrical but harmonically elastic vocabulary of Miles' early 1960s work and the stark abstractions of Wadada Leo Smith, whereby a single note, delivered with great attention to the surrounding silence, can be not just part of the song but the song itself. Indeed the complete withdrawal of the band on occasion, their surrender to the power of soundlessness, is very well placed within the overarching narrative of the set, reiterating with maturity the value of tension: release principles. As a trumpeter who, crucially, sees the common ground between avant-garde and post-bop schools, Malcolm fits into a lineage that includes the likes of Baikida Carroll, Dennis Gonzalez and Ralph Alessi. This is only his second release as leader, following 2013's Glimmers, but the quality of the work bodes very well for the future.