Hard act to follow, that Frank Sinatra, but Jonathan Gee – known principally as a pianist, although he's sung the Mark Murphy songbook in the past – gives it a go when he launches into Bob Hilliard and David Mann's ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning’ here. The set was recorded at the Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival in Rome back in 2006, when the trio of Gee and Italian rhythm section Danilo Gallo (bass) and Alessandro Minetto (drums) were touring their debut album, Cream of Mandarins, and judging by this performance it's a shame we haven't heard more from them since. ‘Wee Small Hours’ is the only time Gee opens his mouth but the song's inclusion points to a nice sense of stage dynamics and variety. The tunes, a mixture of originals and standards, are well selected, and Gee demonstrates a McCoy Tyner-ish intensity and virtuosity on the likes of ‘Black Ball’, besides offering a searching unaccompanied take on ‘Ruby, My Dear’. The trio get to stretch out and explore in a Mehldau-ish manner on ‘We See’ and impress with their delicate interplay on the ballad ‘Tune for Emanuele’.