Peter Edwards is a roll your sleeves up and get down and swing guy. That’s not always apparent with say, Rhythmica, where he’s very much part of a driving rhythm section and a colourist setting up the horn guys. Which is all part of being in a quintet. But with his trio, Edwards, rightly so, goes for it. He has a fine tuned sense of swing, as per the opening ‘Byron’s Blues’ which takes a straightahead, simple phrase and dances its legs off. Edwards, with a composer’s ear and performer’s sense of drama, doesn’t overcomplicate his material, even on something like ‘Nine Lives’ in which he skates seamlessly through skittering meters before zoning into a no frills exposition (with Raman having a ball). And for good measure (and Edwards deals in good measures), there’s also a touch of Horace Silver, an ear for a soulful song and a Caribbean bounce, all brought forth in the closing ‘Mas Calypso’. This is very much a calling card for Edwards, hence the ‘showcase’ feel of the songs, with the piano man setting out his talents for all to peruse. But why not, he has many skills to display. - Andy Robson ***

 Peter Edwards - piano, Max Luthert - double bass and Saleem Raman - drums