Formed in the late-1990s by the drummer John Hollenbeck, The Claudia Quintet releases its seventh album, September, a month in which the bandleader's creative energy is devoted to working in artistic hideaways in various international locations. Lengthwise the recording overstays its welcome slightly, but it's a minor complaint. On the track ‘29th: 1936 Me Warn You’ a historic Franklin D. Roosevelt speech, sometimes looped, is rather brilliantly set to music with mocking instrumental phrases providing the illusion the president sung his lines. It recalls as well the band's similarly inspiring previous sixth album from last year, What is the Beautiful?, which had vocalist Kurt Elling reciting the proto-beat poetry of Kenneth Patchen. For all of the metronomic acoustic loops that create the band textures, Hollenbeck and bassist Drew Gress create grooves that are surprisingly warm and infectiously funky as well as entirely mesmerising. The colourful arrangements for instruments such as vibraphone (Matt Moran) and accordion (Red Wierenga) also provide for many Mediterraneanlike folky moments, as on ‘12th: Coping Song’, a backdrop to the day after 9/11. Soloists, such as saxophonist Chris Speed, hit the spot as they are switched on to the band's particular sonic environment. It's more evidence if needed that The Claudia Quintet is still one of the best things around in contemporary post-jazz.