This ensemble recording, the second following Quarterlife Crisis released in 2009 by the quartet Paragon really hits its target. They're a fairly young Anglo-German quartet that has been quietly, mostly in intense bursts of activity, going about its business over the past decade. It might just be the thing that's keeping their music fresh. They are led by Berlin-based saxophonist Peter Ehwald and London based pianist/keyboardist Arthur Lea who met at the Royal Academy over a decade ago and share in the writing credits. With Ehwald's tender saxophone – reminiscent of mentor Julian Argüelles in its sensuous post-bop clarity – and Lea's meditative electric Fender Rhodes keys there's a mutual understanding. The Cologne-based bassist Matthias Nowak and Kairos 4tet drummer Jon Scott's supple grooves hit the spot and there's an artful invention in themes that draw from Indian, eastern European and Venezuelan melodies/rhythms. They can occasionally sound like a cross between Return to Forever and Dave Holland's old quartet. Airily upbeat in spirit, Paragon is a refreshing antidote to some of the darker, heavier sounds coming out of the contemporary creative jazz scene.