Saxophonist-leader-composer Rich Halley has proved notably consistent over the past decade, recording mostly in a piano-less quartet in which the cornet of Dan Clucas is an effective foil for his tenor, as heard on 2021’s Boomslang. This time round, there is a significant change of personnel, as pianist Matthew Shipp, double bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker join the fold, and the presence of these seasoned exponents of the avant-garde is felt in no uncertain terms.

Halley, whose big barreling sound and in ‘n’ out phrasing underline the stylistic affinity between Sonny Rollins and David S Ware among others, leans towards tonality that is both rakishly challenging and engaging, and is well served by his rhythm section. Its distinguishing feature is an ability to loosen time and harden timbre to points of boiling intensity all the while keeping ensemble cohesion.

No piece is more emblematic in this regard than ‘Angular Logic’, a trip over rutted metric roads that has each of the four players often audaciously spinning out of step with each other yet still making the staggered motion into a powerful forward march, especially when Shipp launches into what sounds like a curt Latin montuno played backwards. Like many notable improvisers past and present Halley has talent that is not in line with his profile. How to increase his audience is the proverbial $64,000 Question, but his growing body of impressive work should hopefully mean that the ovation is coming down the track.