A former Mercer Ellington, Mingus and Hampton sideman, Ford seemed to be everywhere for a while, recording prolifically and touring. Then he wasn’t. Turns out he moved to France in 1990 before teaching in Istanbul for six years, but was back in New York for this album and with a top trio.

The reference to Paul in the album’s title is to Paul Gonsalves, an early hero whose chair in Mercer’s band he occupied and sets out Ford’s determination to play across all the styles. Indeed, Benny Golson’s note shakes its head in awe that Ford has still kept the ubiquity of Coltrane at bay. Instead, Ford uses a broad but grainy, almost guttural tone, a treacle-heavy sound and shows the kind of agility in his improvisations that Rollins would doubtless appreciate. There’s also something of Sonny’s indomitable prolixity and Hawk’s built-in swagger in Ford’s extended improvisations, these especially evident on his ‘That Red Clay’ but all the way through this stirring, full-on recital, he sounds determined to assert control.

The blurb speaks of his ‘bristling edginess’ and that’s right, Soskin and company matching him for intensity on, say, the title track, which is a strong bebop romp. ‘Stockholm Stomp’ is from the old Fletcher Henderson band-book and ‘The Essence of You’ is by Coleman Hawkins, add in ‘Angel Face’ by Hank Jones, and Ford’s open-eyed grasp of mainstream-modern tenor is writ large. Get this one.