The link between US trumpeter McCullough and Scottish saxophonist Towndrow is Slovakian vibraphonist Herak, who had met and played with both, before the pandemic. During lockdown, this newly-formed band recorded a remote set for the 2021 Glasgow festival, and since then the group has been on the road in 2022 and 2023, its line-up completed by Irish bassist Murray and Scottish drummer Cosker.

If one track epitomises the elements that this exciting collaboration brings together, it is Herak’s ‘Hore Haj’, based on a Slovakian folksong, intertwined with the flute playing Scottish melodies, before a vibes solo introduces a full-blown jazz workout, with Towndrow switching to alto – his inventive lines weaving in and out of McCullough’s vibrant trumpet. Towndrow’s ‘Pale Ale’ develops into a Scottish reel, with his penny whistle setting the pace.

McCullough’s ‘Other Fulton Street’ nods in the direction of the contemporary Chicago scene, but the track that steals the album is his reflective ballad ‘Auburn’, its slow theme unwinding sinuously from trumpet and flute. The band has now toured in the US, and it is a glowing example of the way international co-operation can feed and nurture new ideas.