A no show at Brilliant Corners earlier in the year – an expired passport the paperwork puzzler – the pleasure will be twice the experience when JD finally lands in Ireland, hopefully not before too much more precious time has slipped away.

Love Stone finds Allen, a bona fide tenor saxophone great and no it is not too soon to claim this in his mastery of the ballad over a period of less than 20 years since first emerging on the world scene. I cannot help riffing on an old Coleman Hawkins 1960 Moodsville record to encapsulate by way of referencing the undisputed ballads master of his day – yes once again Bob’s your uncle, At Ease With Coleman Hawkins.

In the familiar company of bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston + more recent addition to the band studio family guitarist Liberty Ellman throw your own listening party to this when the Sonny Rollins calibre Love Stone rolls by.