Matt Wates is a very fine altoist, not to mention an accomplished bandleader and composer. It should come as no surprise, then, that this 10th outing with his sextet is such a smart, tightly marshalled, upbeat concoction. The classic line-up of two saxophones, trumpet and rhythm section is used to explore a mixture of bop, West Coast cool and latin influences: try the super-fast, smilingly corseted ‘Samba for Heather’ or the lovely ballad ‘Written in the Stars’ to get an idea of the sextet's range and ambition. The release also marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of Malcolm Creese's Audio-B label. Creese plays double bass and produces on Yemanja but his label is home to a variety of other artists and groups, including Creese's own Acoustic Triangle, not to mention projects involving Cleo Laine and John Dankworth and emerging talents such as Alcyona Mick and Christian Garrick. The quality of the recording here is as impeccable as ever – no signs of aging at all, just of the benefits of artistic maturity. Happy birthday.