It’s 24 years since trombonist Steve Davis last recorded with the front line of Steve Nelson and Peter Bernstein, on his album Vibe Up! This new album shows that it’s just as potent a combination now as it was then. Working as a tight-knit ensemble, their solo styles contrast, and nowhere better than on their successive choruses on ‘Maybe So’, in which the rhythm section members also take a turn each. This is free-blowing, latterday mainstream jazz, hard-swinging, thoughtful and extrovert by turns, and the combination of Keezer, McBride and Jones provides just the right level of support. Keezer comes into his own with an extended outing on ‘Bedford Strolle’ where his climactic interaction with McBride and Jones has all the power of a live session – all that’s missing is a roar of applause at the end of his solo. Many British listeners will recall hearing the two Steves together in Chick Corea’s Sextet (often alongside our own Tim Garland) and the album concludes with the two of them featured on the joyous ‘A Star For Chick’, not only a fitting tribute, but a track that leaves one wanting to hear more, so hopefully Davis will record with this stellar combination again.