Saxophonist Azat Bayazitov’s ambitious third album as a leader showcases his big sound and narrative intelligence on a wide-ranging all-original set. Arrangements are neat, and, given the album was recorded at Basel’s Jazzcampus over just a couple of days, the ensemble is impressively tight.

Bayazitov’s tone has ripened since he left Russia for New York in 2017, and this album confirms him as a distinct personal voice. He is the album’s main soloist, and it is his solos that stand out and rise above the generic. Indeed the four best tracks are those that balance his drive and purpose with various combinations of woodwind and strings.

The album opens with solo tenor sax and a shimmer of strings introducing 'Expectations', the upbeat title track. The low-key 'Very New York' comes with a guitar solo and a funky late-night vibe; 'Be Loose' is a fusion showcase for drummer Janis Jaunalksnis; and the atmospheric “Maybe Later” has the string quartet to the fore. Here the mood is elegiac, tenor sax and strings intertwine and the piece gradually gets more intense.

Later, strings and woodwinds support and interweave on the edgy and angular 'Make Them Friends' and woodwinds flesh out the gentle bossa rhythms of 'Arina' – here Bayazitov is equally impressive on soprano sax. Elsewhere Bayazitov switches to alto sax and 1950s cool on 'A Step Further' and the twisty 'Stretching Out' ebbs and flows to a peak.