This Edinburgh stopover was one of seven dates on a UK tour that Fleming organised to announce the release of his self-funded debut CD, Homestead, and if his style of jazz is suited more to a listening audience than a less committed club crowd, he must surely have won some friends among those present who hadn't previously made his acquaintance.

Fleming's approach to both composition and improvisation is always thoughtful and considered. That's not to say that he doesn't take chances. There were occasions here when phrases he went for didn't quite come off, but with his attractively dry tone and lean, clear musical thought processes, he's a player whose efforts to tell a story through his note choices are consistently worth following through to their conclusions.

While his own playing has continued to develop since his previous Edinburgh visit, what was also noticeable was the growing group identity he's fostered with his musicians. There's a definite collective sense of purpose at work, both on standards such as Thelonious Monk's Ask Me Now and Wayne Shorter's Blues á la Carte and group originals including drummer Jonathan Silk's splendidly precise, uptempo Empty Fridge, and in producing resourceful support true to the overall concept, Silk, pianist Andy Bunting and bassist Nick Jurd ensured that Fleming delivered Charles Mingus' Ducal homage, Duke Ellington's Sound of Love, with elegance and measured soulfulness.

HHH