by Steven LoewyThis recording has a split personality: much of it comes from a solid, 1970s jazz big band perspective, with occasional emblems of the era (such as electric piano), and consistently solid solos, especially from the leader, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. Vocalist Norma Winstone is a steady, energetic presence, and the ensemble responds with enthusiasm. She waxes gorgeously on Wheeler's "Song for Someone," while on "Ballad Two," Winstone luxuriates elegantly as Wheeler discriminatingly explores varied moods, and a magnificent sax solo closes it out. Wheeler is often known for his work in ensembles in which free improvisation is the unifying factor, but he has performed much more within a more traditional jazz context that manages to nudge the post-bop vocabulary ever so slightly, in much the way that another trumpeter, Dave Douglas, does. Evan Parker is added on "Causes Are Events" and "The Good Doctor," the latter on which Derek Baile...