The vibraphonist has some really heavyweight company for this, his third US album, including his boss from the Inside Straight band on bass and production; in addition to his own compositions the programme includes tunes from his teacher at Berklee, Dave Samuels, and another strong influence, Bobby Hutcherson.

There is great compositional strength in the originals: ‘Four Stars From Heaven’ is an expansive suite-like composition which moves from waltz time to an eights feel and features strong solos from Watts, Mehldau, Wolf and Mehldau again; ‘King Of Two Fives’ is a retro-swing duet for vibes and bass with all the wit of a cartoon chase; ‘Cellphone’ has a different kind of humour within its tricky busy structure – a familiar ringtone which crops up in bass line and marimba solo. The non-originals are no less inventive, including a gleaming reading of Stevie Wonder's ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet’ and a closer which combines Hoagy Carmichael's ‘Stardust’ and Frederic Chopin's ‘The Minute Waltz’. The size of the band changes from track to track – just two offer the full quintet with Scofield; Wolf plays piano and Fender Rhodes as well as marimba and vibes on the Wonder song – and so do the styles, from funky to soulful to swinging. What is consistent throughout, and what ensures the album's cohesive feel, is the considerable virtuosity and strong artistic vision of the bandleader. The sound of the recording is superb.