Bright Dawn

This album is thoroughly grounded in the American modern jazz idiom, from Joe Farrell through Eric Kloss and Joe Lovano. There are just 10 tunes - mainly originals - with interesting melodic lines. Harvie S is a versatile and often lyrical bass player, equally at home between arco and pizzicato. There are some excellent moments, on 'The Truth', for example, where the melody is bowed and played jointly with the piano, and 'Voice in the Sky' that features lead bass and guitar feeding nicely off each other.

The set starts with a flurry as the 'Ghosts of Havana' float to the surface, featuring Bernstein on pensively melodic guitar. A unique arrangement of 'Devil May Care' is introduced by Harvie S a cappella, joined gradually by Wilson with brushes, then Bernstein's sparse guitar chords, with the melody explored and recapitulated skilfully on bass. Some of the musical density of the whole album is generated by Wilson's cymbal work, forming a backdrop.

Hayama's piano riffs and particular harmonic excursions perhaps incorporate the modern classical which formed some of her musical education before she immersed herself, winning accolades, in the New York jazz scene. She breezes her way through the complexities of Corea's 'Humpty Dumpty' - a challenge for any jazz pianist - and produces some haunting chords on 'Navalny', written by Harvie S for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a symbol of resistance to Putin's corruption and authoritarianism.