When Rob Townsend last came to the Spin he was sharing the stage with fellow saxophonist Paul Booth in Arnie Somogyi’s Ambulance. So it was a treat to hear him on his own with the house band, which on this occasion was the original Spin trio of Pete Oxley, Raf Mizraki and Mark Doffman.

Townsend has a clear, dry tone on tenor sax, reminiscent of the late Michael Brecker, and also a technical fluency that puts him in striking distance of Brecker’s own immense prowess. Nevertheless, it takes a couple of numbers for a guest and house band to settle in, and on this occasion the group didn’t really hit the groove until the curiously named Cold Duck Time, a jazz-funk number where Townsend went beyond his Breckerish influences to add a wonderfully raw energy to his tone and phrasing to which the rest of the band responded with the alertness and understanding of a well-practised house band. Raf Mizraki, on electric bass, pulled out one of the magnificent elegant-yet- dirty solos for which he is so admired, among his many musical talents.

In the second half, Townsend showed the elegance of his playing in a rendition of Like Someone in Love, where the clarity of his tone and well-balanced phrasing in his solos were well appreciated. He followed this by performing a calypso on penny whistle, which may seem like a comic turn except the playing was so good it gave this bastion of dodgy folk sessions a groove and attack that showed again how Townsend is in control of the jazz idiom even on a generally inexpressive instrument. The evening closed with the Cedar Walter’s favourite, Bolivia, in which Townsend gave another mix of raw funk and clean lines. This was also a chance for Mark Doffman, who is often absent from the house band, to fire up a drum solo that was rightly applauded.

After an uncertain start, this was yet another excellent evening at the Spin during which the vibe must have gone out to the streets for the place was full and wanting more by the end.