A bass and piano duo might not have to play gentle music, but when it does, the range of expression is compressed into a narrower spectrum than other, louder, forms of jazz and is all the more rewarding for it.

The title track, for example (a Reid original), romps along, and within a few bars there’s no thought that this is ‘just a duo’. It’s a fully involving piece, with Sullivan playing with time above Rufus’ impeccable foundations.

But – as the generations of musicians at William Paterson University who benefited from his experience and mentoring can testify – Reid is also an inspiration to bass players everywhere. His entirely solo exploration of Ellington’s ‘Sophisticated Lady’ here shows exactly why: stating the melody, then seeming to introduce himself as soloist, before an exemplary improvisation that seems to have his invisible self as accompanist. Heard live, Rufus is a mesmerising player, and this album comes close to communicating that. Despite the 40-something year age gap between them, Sullivan is completely on the same wavelength, and their mutual exploration of everything from the old standard ‘Sweet Lorraine’ to a version of Jimmy Rowles’s ‘The Peacocks’ (that has Reid soloing over a subtle piano background), shares their joyful investigations with us. There are several Reid originals here of which the tricksy ‘Come Out and Play’ is a perfect example, before the album closes with a homage to Eubie Blake in a beautiful rendition of his standard ‘Memories of You’.