Catch Me Edition *****

Originally a trio with Stan Sulzmann (tenor/soprano), Jim Hart (vibes) and Gwilym Simcock (piano), Neon was reincarnated as a quartet when another piano wunderkind, Kit Downes, replaced Simcock and Tim Giles was added on drums. It remains a wonderful group. With a book of originals by Sulzmann, Downes and Hart, the quartet's use of counterpoint, its rhythmic flexibility, imaginative interplay and lyrical and inventive soloing combine improvisation with a scrupulous attention to detail without compromising the organic development of each performance. Structure and spontaneity, delicacy and robust lyricism co-exist happily, whether in a rubato ballad such as Last of the Leaves, the mordant vitality of Bela Lugosi, the intricacies of Nepapanees or the variety of arranging devices unobtrusively packed into the seven-and-a-half minutes of Skookum. See editionrecords.com