Waterford-born bassist/composer Mick Coady began his musical life playing with local R&B and rock bands, but was diverted on to a jazz path by his celebrated fellow countryman Ronan Guilfoyle. While Coady was subsequently performing sideman duties in New York, he met alto saxophonist David Binney, and they decided to collaborate for this, Coady’s debut recording as a leader.

Binney proves an exceptionally suitable choice for this role, bringing his open-eared, expressive approach to music that is equally eclectic in style, Coady being interested not only in rock and folk, but also in African and Brazilian traditional music. The resulting album contains seven lively, wide-ranging but consistently sparky and robust Coady tunes, one by Binney, and another by the band’s pianist Ivo Neame.

Binney melds well with front-line partner Michael Buckley (tenor), and the whole is driven firmly along by drummer Sean Carpio, its pleasantly nervy, twisting themes often settling in to solid grooves that provide great platforms for Binney and Buckley’s urgent but controlled saxophone solos. Coady is a Loop Collective member, and his music is in many ways typical of that aggregation: restlessly inventive, vibrant, democratic.