In the late noughties, young British pianist Ivo Neame began to reveal his composing potential, and this sextet including expressive tenor saxist and flautist Tori Freestone and vibraphonist Jim Hart plays eight of his challenging originals in an engagingly laidback manner, almost as if they were Broadway songs. The polyphonic labyrinth of Personality Clash gets an imploring warmth from Freestone’s tenor tone before it becomes a fast bass-walk skimmed over by the leader’s fleet, somewhat John Taylor-like piano lines. The chiming title track with its sparingly enticing synth shivers opens up with Freestone in Jan Garbarek/Tore Brunborg mood; OCD Blues is melodically intricate but its atmosphere is plaintively brooding; Miss Piggy has a lurching lyricism reminiscent of old Django Bates/Iain Ballamy themes; and Folk Dance is a churning, accordion-driven stomp. Strata is the gifted Neame’s best effort yet to balance the rhythmic back-doubles of latterday jazz composition with the freedoms of improvisation.
