Given time and enough practice, it is not so hard to play loud and fast on a tenor sax, and since Parker and Coltrane it is something players have aspired to and audiences have applauded. But, then, loud and fast is not enough. The music has to have some form and meaning to give the listener something to hold on to. Butch Thomas, an American saxophonist renowned for his work with Jaco Pastorius and now resident in Britain, absorbed this lesson early in his career. He showed at the Spin how wonderfully he can play with volume when needed, speed when appropriate and meaning at all times.

From the first number, Coltrane's Some Other Blues, Thomas gave an object lesson in how to be forceful yet controlled. On tenor, in particular, his tone is unusually clean and bright, with very little vibrato, which enforces the directness of his approach. From initial spare opening statements he time and again wove solos that built like coloured threads into increasingly complex patterns without ever collapsing into a featureless wall of sound.

He was able to do this not only with the open space of Coltrane but also on soprano with the much more harmonically precise structure of a melody by Jobim, whose less known compositions made up almost half of the evening. Thomas also showed great leadership as a guest soloist by giving the beautiful Jobim tunes his own interpretation rather than staying doggedly with the accepted. In this he was well supported by the house trio who had to stay very aware as Thomas followed his own path. Here Mark Doffman on drums did a great job of holding down the solid beat while producing a complex rhythm.

This was also an historic evening as the Spin has been short-listed for the award of Best Jazz Club in the UK. Since the other four clubs nominated are in London, Pete Oxley could honestly claim, in his inimitable style, that the Spin is already the best jazz club outside London. And very much deserved.