Christian Scott

Jazz mythology has it that Buddy Bolden, the New Orleans jazz cornetist who preceded the recording era, was so loud you could hear him far, far away. Christian Scott, the latest in a long line of star New Orleans brass players, could have given Bolden a run for his money. Scott's a rarity among jazz trumpeters of his age in that he understands the ­tradition all the way back to its origins. But listening to Scott on record doesn't prepare you for the impact of hearing this hip, focused, charismatic 26-year-old in a club. He's been pinning listeners to the wall at Ronnie Scott's this week, and then letting them fall gratefully into his arms with a muted ballad tone of whispering softness. Scott turned up the heat early on ­Monday, with his tirade on the US ­penitentiary ­system, entitled Angola, LA and the 13th ­Amendment. After a ­blazing ­opening, the piece grows agitated, with ­Matthew ­Stevens ­unfolding tight runs with an old-school guitar sound over the storms of ­drummer Jamire Williams. The trumpeter shot through ­Herbie ­Hancock's Eye of the Hurricane with a solo of fast-shifting motifs and pitch-slurs, unwrapped Thom Yorke's The Eraser over Milton Fletcher's ghostly piano riff, and took the ­second set from a ­fragile ballad into a groove. This became a ­freewheeling ­collective ­exploration, winding up with music from Scott's ­Grammy-nominated album Rewind That. His material is still ­uneven, but Scott's a superb ­instrumentalist and adventurous ­bandleader, with the ­technique, vision and ­commitment to make a real ­difference to US jazz.