This leading Dutch saxophonist still has the look and aura of a rock star who prefers to walk on the wild side. This is borne out in his music too. Since the early 1990s, his band Wired Paradise has been deconstructing an obscure rock repertoire for a young jazz generation seeking new kinds of standards. He was doing Abba and the Police before The Bad Plus even existed. Honing's new recording True is only sparingly littered with the rock-pop songs he likes to explore from Bowie (‘Bring me the Disco King’) and Goldfrapp (the John Barry-like ‘Paper Bag’), and as usual Honing gets to the heart of the songs' melancholy and underlying musicality extremely well. The rest are the saxophonist's originals and also preach simple song melodies, an approach that some contemporary jazz artists might be able to learn something from. There is a mellower acoustic ambience to his group than usual, fellow Dutch pianist Wolfert Brederode is here instead of electric guitar, his usual preference. Previous release White Tiger with the band Wired Paradise, benefitted from being a live recording and a contribution from the Der Rote Bereich German guitarist Frank Möbus. Some of the rhythmically infectious dynamics that were key to the excellence of that session might have broken up some of the spacious soundscapes and air of subdued reflection that looms heavily over this new one.