Voyages - Julie Sassoon's personal journey through her musical ideas, and so too this quartet, regularly on tour before the lockdown. Now both the music and the quartet have developed in tandem, resulting in a highly integrated ensemble, ever evolving within the framework that Julie sets. It goes without saying that Julie Sassoon would want to make a new album with this group. And here it is: starting with the rhythmic interaction of 'Missed Calls' and intriguing sonic runs on the piano, up to the last piece 'Melody', a hymnic finale. There is a special melancholy to the compositions, all improvisations blending into the spirit of the music with great sensitivity. Most importantly for me, this ensemble is a working band. Rehearsing, gigging and touring make the difference. As the spirit and the sound of the ensemble develops, so does the greater instrument - the quartet itself. Just as a conductor views a good symphony orchestra as an instrument, a 'body of sound', so do we, the audience, experience this band. Playing as one. Such groups used to exist more often in jazz, now less so. So it is gratifying that Julie Sassoon is treading this old route afresh. Following her highly individual path - one that has certainly never been trodden before. Ulli Blobel