Matt One year after the Quintet's self titled debut album alongs comes the second, titled "Five Of Hearts" with Tony Corman on guitar who also composed six of the eleven compositions with the pianist Laura Klein composing the other five. Tony Corman actually began on saxophone but had to drop it due to jaw disorder in 2002 and since has been playing guitar. Tony went back to the basics and studied on his new instrument with four different muscians in the field with great results and you would think as I myself did that he had always been a guitarist with his skill but that is not all Tony contributes, as arranging is another input to the band from him. Behind every "great man as the saying goes there is a woman" and behind Tony on piano we have his wife Laura Klein who actually might state that "behind every great woman there is a man" as Laura is no slouch on piano with a technique that only comes from 30 years of experience with also teaching the correct technique on piano around various schools with Berkeley being one. Laura has great spacing with her style with just the right timing within the bands structure with a great approach to her solos and a delicate touch throughout the improvision but when required she can firm those notes and bring them to the fore but always comes back to just that right spot. Dave Tidball who originally hails from Cardiff is blowing all the saxes and clarinet and Dave has played with Tony before in Triceratops and Three Tenors No Opera and also alone with The Joe Henderson Memorial Big Band and Turning Point. Alan Hall is drumming with a wealth of experience behind him with having in the past collaborated with Eddie Harris, Kenny Werner, Kai Eckhardt and Victor Mendoza (for that latin touch) as well as teaching all over the place and yes he sure knows how to play that kit beautifully. Last but not least Paul Smith is on upright or slap depending on which band he might be in as Paul plays with Dan Hicks currently but here with Five Play he is in full Jazz mode so it is upright and he also has recorded with Mark Levine and the great latin percussionist Willie Bobo. Contempary with a mixture influences of various styles with Samba, Tango, Balkan,a gorgeous ballad and some great modern Bop being the major component within this album of original compositions written by Tony and Laura bringing a freshness to the Jazz created by the band.

First up it is a Laura Klein composition " Terra Incognita" with that subtle intro from the rythmn section with Laura's piano but Dave on tenor is the first with a solo that just rides perfectly along the groove followed by a beautiful turn from Laura with just the right touch on the piano with Dave coming back after to finish where he left off with Tony providing some great Jazz picking on guitar when his solo comes just before the finish. Next up is "Ting-a-Ling" being a bit more up tempo written by Tony Corman with Dave doing a lot of the solo work on tenor and Laura on piano following with the addition of great drumming and bass playing underpinning the tune from Alan Hall and Paul Smith with the addition of Tony's guitar supporting more and filling things in. On the following number " From Time To Time"" which is another written by Laura, hearing the intro and I do not say this lightly but it is reminscent of Andrew Hill with that introspection and spacing that he used within his compositions and Laura's piano seems to fill the spaces as well with another beautiful solo from Laura within. "Ha Ha" is another great up-tempo number from Tony with the band just motoring along with Tony's guitar repeating the chords over this little groover with Dave doing a little beauty of a sax solo. "Monsoon Blues" has Laura back in the introspective mode with a great bass solo from Paul Smith and with the next tune it is Samba that is pushing this little Latin swinger along with some great clarinet from Dave Tidball and one great bouncy solo from Laura on piano and being one of my favourites from the album giving that sunshine feel that only Latin music can. So many good compositions contained in the album with the ballad "Summer Dusk" being another, the band say that it is Ellington influenced but whoever influenced it, I am back there in the fifties with this delightful late night burner."Scrim Symphony" contains that old time rag time feel to it with its intro and theme which just keeps coming back throughout with Dave's tenor and I must mention another terrific solo on bass is played by Paul Smith within the tune which is just another highlight on the album. "Kiss of The Tenor" with its tango structure but it is jazz in the middle has another ripper from Dave on sax and Tony follows with some great picking on his turn. "Brother Dave" written by Tony Corman is a tribute to Dave Murtaugh the drummer who was a life long friend of his with its Gospel- Waltz structure and for me the best solo and song from Tony on the album with its fairly slow tempo but aren't they the ones that always grab you, giving us a great finisher for the album.

Great effort was put into the album with the results to show and this one I will be playing again in the near future which is as soon as it finishes this play.