Partisans are all stunning musicians; Julian Siegel’s saxophone and bass clarinet are part of him; man and musical machine make a whole.  Phil Robson’s versatility on the semi-acoustic electric guitar ranges from classic combo jazz chord work, racing through the changes, to Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969.  Thaddeus Kelly marks out sometimes very unorthodox chord patterns with a solid bass which can race into a fast four effortlessly – which is often what drummer Gene Calderazzo likes to do. The communication between bass and kit is orgasmic, with firm musical pacts settled on the spur of the moment. Kelly calls for ‘drum and bass at the break’.  Calderazzo obliges. He kicks faster than drum-and-bass maestro Joe Joe Meyer, Converse boots levitating mid-air.

Form for Partisans is predominantly dynamic form – loud-soft – with any rhythmic, chordal or harmonic liberty in between.  This can make listening hard work; after musical liftoff, there might not be a discernible landing. They like to merge tunes in performance; three numbers turn into movements I, II and III of a mini-symphony.  This is very reminiscent of Coltrane’s project ‘A Love Supreme’, and ‘Munch’, a mesmerising tune on the new album By Proxy, which resonates with the spiritual mood of that seminal recording.

Accessibility is often a problem with jazz.   It can be quite a cerebral genre – it ain’t about the sing-along – and too many people dismiss it thus. They just cannot attune to the ecstatic solos and frantic polyrhythms, the mysterious forces which do not immediately make sense.  Good jazz needs to strike a careful balance between novelty and experimentation, and familiar refrains to guide the way.

The best gigs make jazz lovers quake, but also give the jazz virgins a fairly delicate first time.  Partisans live is dynamic, drawing on a huge range of influences, but the formlessness is occasionally a struggle.  This is certainly new music, and exciting for that fact alone, but a bit more structure in live performance would help. Interestingly, their recorded material does not wander quite as much; the confines of the album seem to keep this nomadic urge under control.

Top tune: ‘Lapdog’

Calls to mind: Late Coltrane, early-electric Davis,  Robert Glasper Trio.