The latest releases reviewed

NIK BÄRTSCH'S RONIN
Holon ECM ***

On the evidence of this, Ronin - Bärtsch (piano), Sha (bass and contrabass clarinet/alto), Björn Meyer (bass guitar), Kaspar Rast (drums) and Andi Pupato (percussion) - has developed into more than just a band with a hypnotic groove. Its music, pulse-driven and compared, inevitably, with Steve Reich's minimalism, now has a stronger, more organic feel. The compositions' identical titles, differentiated only by number, discourage judgmental expectations, but the way the band treats them gives them a vibrant sense of drama and growth. Rock and Middle Eastern elements are in the mix, too, but everything, including the "solos", is subsumed into the tight but evolving - and primarily rhythmic - group dynamic. It's epitomised in the longest and finest track, Modul_17, whose subtle alternation of tension and release shows the band at its best. www.musicconnection.org.uk

IAN MCDOUGALL
No Passport Required Barbarian Records ****

Trombonist, composer and orchestrator Ian McDougall provided this line-up from Canada's west coast with richly detailed big band charts, all swung with elan and skill. The core of the album is its eponymous three-part suite, where McDougall imaginatively juggles the basic thematic material and shares the solo space with the marvellous trumpet and flugelhorn player, Brad Turner. Elsewhere, the band's solo strength is also high-calibre; long-time Irish expat, guitarist Oliver Gannon, is featured on Lightly Turning, and on Ian Leaps Out (an I Got Rhythm variation) jump-style altoist Campbell Ryga and the bustling tenor of Ross Taggart, among others, impress. Given the probably relatively limited rehearsal time, there's a successful trade-off between mere clinical precision and getting the feeling right. Big band aficionados should love it. www.ianmcdougall.com

JOHN CHIN
Blackout Conception Fresh Sound ***

Chin is a youngish, bop-flavoured pianist with a swinging, melodic style and an unambiguously full sound. It serves him well on the inventive trio treatments of Bernstein's Some Other Time and the dissonant chording of his own I Won't Argue With You, but the delicacy of Strayhorn's Passion Flower is lost to an otherwise attractive swinging medium tempo. A big plus is the presence of tenor saxophonist Mark Turner on the remaining four pieces. Although Chin tends to comp rather emphatically behind a soloist, Turner is such a strong, mature performer that he can deal with it. The best moments occur when he's around; he is brilliant on Kenny Barron's Lullaby and perhaps finest of all on Chin's lovely, if mournful, After Crash, where his flowing, fluent and lyrical solo is a highlight of an enjoyable album. www.freshsoundrecords.com