Tom Bancroft is an influential figure on the Scottish jazz and music scene. Besides his success in bringing new initiatives to children's education, he leads a big band Orchestro Interrupto (a massive highlight was their tour in 2004 with American pianist Geri Allen), and recently reformed the cult proto-punk jazz Trio AAB with his twin brother and saxophonist Phil – though sadly not his defunct Edinburgh-based Caber Music recording label that released the band's original three albums around the turn of the millennium. With all that and more on his plate he's still found the energy to get a new band together. Trio Red features English pianist Tom Cawley, leader of the trio Curios, and Norwegian bassist Per Zanussi. This is the debut and it's split between Bancroft's compositions and what he calls ‘First Hellos’ – basically recordings from the trio's first ever rehearsals together. They are free improv pieces but have Bancroft setting rules about who takes the lead. First Hello to Last Goodbye is bookended by two covers, the first an elliptical mash up of Joan Armatrading's ‘Opportunity’ with Ornette's ‘Lonely Woman’, and the other from the album title, Jeff Buckley's ‘Last Goodbye’ – Cawley, a fan of the singer delivers the theme with a tasteful understatement. The album as a whole has an understated power about it with the pianist's probing, meditative phrasing taking on a real sense of purpose while Bancroft's grooves are unfussy yet energetic. Bancroft deserves much credit for preparing the groundwork for what is an excellent recording and creating the catalysts that have made the trio gel so well together. That goes for Cawley and Per Zanussi too for being right there in the moment.