Simon Currie has been steeped in jazz for more than 20 years, playing the great venues, travelling the world and backing many of the giants of the last three decades. It shows. That wide exposure has been a stimulant, not a template. There is nothing formulaic about this work. An intelligent and mature album, each track is fresh and Simon's style unique. Listen and judge for yourself. The first track will do it for you. Scottie's Bop is a syncopated reel that's as punchy as Saturday night in Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street. It's cocky, it's deceptively casual and it's an invitation to a cracking good time. Just when you think you've got Simon's measure, he amazes by revealing his deep side, with the full-fathom-five Dorothy Ann. This ballad is languid, liquid, dreamy and wistful, bordering on melancholic. The delicate interweaving dialogue of strings and sax speaks not of passion so much as deep, abiding affection. Drown in it. Nor is it only two-dimensional. New sides, new insights and new depths are brought out track-by-track. Contrast the accomplished, smooth, brassy, trad sound of Simon's Roast with the rocking, tonal insistence of the 'nya nya na nana' of Who's Afraid? and again with the full, tight sounds and rhythms of the intricate and thoughtful Colours. Interspersed, Simon drops the emotional pearls of his four Impressions. He put just the baritone sax and a grand piano in the studio; the result is sexy, cerebral, intriguing and intelligent but Oh! - what contrasts. These speak to the soul and the subject is Simon Currie the man. His baritone sax actually sings The Blues; it is every mellow, heat-hazed, 3 a.m. experience distilled into a few short moments. That Minor Riff intrigues; it's insistent but inquisitive and oozes elegance; expectation of a momentous event. A Fresh Start develops a response to That Minor Riff, speaking of hope, responsibility and maturity - in the same way as knowing that to travel hopefully can be a better thing than to arrive. Balancing these big themes, Latin Groove stands apart from the snapshot moodiness of the other Impressions in almost tinkling with light, laughter and life; coolly fun. To show that he can polish a masterpiece, the album includes interpretations of In a Mellow Tone and Love for Sale. The band add a sophisticated edge to make the familiar memorable and provide a showcase for Simon's very considerable solo-playing talents. Just in case we're in danger of thinking that that's the sum of his career and talents so far, we see him as the 'father' of one of his students in the Dingle Starry piece. Listen for yourself; the influence is palpable. So - he can even bottle the talent and pass it on. Monochrome to Colour is a showcase for Simon Currie to express his multi-dimensional life and multi-faceted talents - he is one grown-up, confident musician and we will all know it when we've heard this, his debut album.

Kate Gregory

1. Scotties Bop (Currie) 4.07

2. Dorothy Ann (Currie) 2.37

3. Simon's Roast (Currie) 4.43

4. Impressions "The Blues" (Currie) 4.39

5. Who's Afraid (Currie) 4.16

6. In A Mellow Tone (Ellington) 4.15

7. Impressions "That Minor Riff" (Currie) 2.07

8. Love For Sale (Porter) 5.00

9. Impressions "Romance" (Currie) 3.07

10. Dingle Starry (Bartllett) 5.08

11. Impressions "Latin Groove" (Currie) 2.37

12. Colours (Currie) 3.34