Here, he has recruited yet another lively, vigorous set of players whose poise and professionalism belie their relatively tender years: from the big band Pendulum, he's taken the bright, surefooted trumpeter Paul Jordanous and the agile altoist Piers Green; as a result of a brief encounter in the vibist's teens he's enlisted the extravagantly talented Lewis Wright; pianist Kit Downes, despite being only in his earliest twenties, needs no introduction to Vortex patrons, having delighted a packed club on numerous occasions in various outfits over the past couple of years; and bassist Ryan Trebilcock was originally recommended by his tutor Arnie Somogyi. The album begins with a suitably bright, peppy Cedar Walton composition, 'Bolivia', which puts the whole band enjoyably through its paces, then intersperses originals (Tracey's own moody title track; an intriguing Downes tune, 'Export', also to be found on Jake Goss's new album; Trebilcock's perky '5 Bellies' and Tracey's rollingly rhythmic 'Devil's Chair', from the Stiperstones suite first aired in the 1980s) with a couple of jazz classics: Monk's 'Bemsha Swing' and Wayne Shorter's Messengers staple, 'One by One'. Whatever their material, though, the sextet is an archetypal Clark Tracey band, breezily informal yet whip-smart, powerful in the soloing department yet mutually sensitive and perfectly cohesive, the whole flawlessly propelled by one of Europe's most accomplished drummers. Warmly recommended.

In particular the inclusion of vibraphonist Lewis Wright adds a new dimension to the ensemble. The Cedar Walton piece ‘Bolivia’ is an ideal vehicle for the sextet which sounds like Bobby Hutcherson circa 1965 on Blue Note. Altoist Piers Green impresses with a restrained yet soulful solo. A Jazz Messengers staple ‘One by One’ from the pen of Wayne Shorter receives a light Latin vamp intro on piano from Kit Downes before various band members engage in solos. Most impressive of all the covers is a reworking of Monk’s ‘Bemsha Swing’ taken at a slightly slower pace than per usual and where the use of space both from vibes and bass solos offer a wholly different version from the original. However, this is by no means a covers only album, with four out of the seven lengthy pieces being originals, and various band members including the leader contribute some excellent compositions. Pianist Kit Downes offers the reflective ballad ‘Export’ with trumpet and vibes solos. New directions are hinted at on ‘Devil’s chair’, a reworking of a Clark Tracey original first heard on a previous album from the 1980s. The piece begins conventionally enough, but a third way through becomes somewhat freer in format and it is in this context that Wright on vibes plays a pivotal role before Tracey leads the sextet back into the theme. Overall this new sextet appears to have a whole variety of musical options at its disposal and it will it be fascinating to see in which of these directions they will head over subsequent albums and live settings.