Spirit Speech

Remember when the references you most commonly picked up from a piano trio were to the oblique harmonies and subtle rhythms of Bill Evans. Now it's the hip-hop groove and the sliding Robert Glasper phrases that most often stand out.

Of course there is nothing wrong with either form of sincere flattery and I haven't heard many pianists not use such influences to good effect. Dominic Marshall, originally from the UK but now working out of Amsterdam, has a lot of melodic power and drive at his fingertips. And double bassist Tobias Nijboer and drummer Jamie Peet lock in well with him.

All the tunes are by Marshall and I like the way they - or sometimes his improvisational reworkings around them - flirt with standards-sounding phrases. There is a wit there which extends throughout, sometimes nodding towards Thelonious as well as to Bill and Robert.

Try Unflinchingly as a ballad or Book Of Machines for the band in full-on mode.