There ain’t ‘alf been some clever bastards, as Ian Dury was wont to reflect, and here we have Kavuma and Zaitz laying down their first instruments, trumpet and guitar, to instead duo with evident pleasure on various keys.

Kavuma of course drips with plaudits for The Banger Factory project, to which Zaitz’ fretwork also contributes. But here the pals are sat at the keyboards, back to back of course, working up sessions that they enjoyed during the pandemic. They’d be the first to admit the collaboration ain’t no Basie and Ellington partnership, but Zaitz has studied with Andrea Vicari and the hard swing they bring to the Bangers means their 1 + 1 adds up to considerably more than 2. So they relish a couple of Monk tunes, with ‘Evidence’ redolent with that Monk rhythmic bounce’, while ‘Lockdown Blues’ is what it says on the tin, spiced with a mellow Brian Jackson or even Roy Ayres cool groove.

A considerable bonus is Cleasby’s drums, (OK, so I got it wrong: it’s 1 + 1 + 1), never overpowering but regularly spicing up the Zaitz/Kavuma badinage. Of course the latter can’t keep his horn boxed up forever, and he’s unabashedly nostalgic on the balladic ‘Mia’s Waltz’ evoking a ‘Mona Lisa’/‘My Funny Valentine’ indulgence. It’s all wrapped up with the gospelly ‘Church’, with those organ pedals high up in the mix. Great fun. Bangin’, in fact.