Kenny Wheeler: Six for Six

Now in his ninth decade, with a body of work acknowledged as one of the most influential in contemporary jazz, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler has a luxurious bed of laurels on which he might easily be resting. Instead, the Canadian-born Londoner is getting up every morning to practise his horn and write new music. So, when he assembled his current sextet of British grandees (saxophonists Bobby Wellins and Stan Sulzman, pianist John Taylor, bassist Chris Laurence and drummer Martin France), eight new or recent charts from Wheeler's hand were placed before them. For those who know the quality of his writing, no further recommendation will be required. For newbies, suffice it to say that there are few things more bewitching to the ear than a Kenny Wheeler melody. camjazz.com