Anyone who went to The Spin website for information about this gig would have been misled, as the information there contained details of bassist Dave Mannington’s trio rather than his more eclectic group called The Smattering. This is a quintet that performs Mannington’s arrangements of well-known rock tunes, so there is a rich smattering of melodies and harmonies that anyone of a certain age will recognise as landmarks in their personal histories of popular culture. The group has a powerful front line of the increasingly edgy saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and trumpeter Joe Auckland, alongside Barry Green on keyboard.

Robert Wyatt is quoted in the sleeve notes of Laubrock’s recent album Sleepthief as saying: "I’m not interested any more in what style someone’s playing. The only thing I listen to is the voice and whether it tells me something." These words from a wise old guru of the music scene can be applied to any bunch of notes played, but also help to come to grips with The Smattering.

In many ways the melodies of songs such as Bridge Over Troubled Water are so deeply embedded that it seems almost obtuse to play them to a jazz audience. But Mannington’s arrangements are very intelligently written. The melody becomes slowly recognisable from the harmonies on the keyboard or springs suddenly into life from the horns. Though cleverly written and well performed by everyone in the band, it nevertheless took several tunes for the feeling that Wyatt’s judgement was being fulfilled.

We all enjoyed the delicacy with which rock classics rose to the surface but waited for it all to communicate something more than prettiness. It was only when, first, Auckland on trumpet and then Laubrock’s tenor came up with forceful solos that the music was dragged away from its rock roots and something instructive and exciting began to filter through.

Laubrock, in particular, is a player with a very individual voice and a lot to say, so it was a pity that in this context she had fairly limited spaces in which to take off. Though the distinctive angles of jazz were somewhat missing the subtlety of the compositions created a rich carpet.