The National Jazz Trio of Scotland – Standards Vol. II

As if the double fib in their name wasn’t enough (not jazz; not a trio), Standards Vol. II is not, as its title implies, an assortment culled from the songbooks of Gershwin et al. Rather, it’s a collection of bandleader Bill Wells’ original compositions (give or take a borrowed lyric and a Moondog cover), brought to life with the help of vocalists Lorna Gilfedder, Aby Vulliamy and Kate Sugden.

Try not to hold the dastardly deception against them though, for no amount of misdirection can distract from the airy beauty stamped through these thirteen pieces: from wistful opener We Grow Accustomed (sounding of a piece with Wells’ Lemondale work) to the hushed farewells of closer Unexpectedly, via such highlights as Hillwalks’ winsome glide and Things We Got Up To’s tiptoeing bossa nova undertones. In fact, add another lie to the rap sheet: work of this calibre is far from standard.