This concert was the first of a set called Contemporary Jazz Piano Series which continues through the next few months with some remarkable events. Tom Cawley’s Curios is a trio that has been making waves in the jazz scene since their debut in 2007, while Yaron Herman, an Israeli resident in Paris, has burst through on to the international jazz stage with extraordinary speed.

Just when we thought that EST, with the death of Esbjorn Svensson, had closed a unique path, both these pianists have found ways to enlarge on a form of jazz that embraces a wide musical spectrum and to discover new light in contemporary music. Tom Cawley in particular manages to merge his attraction to early 20th-century classical music with a jazz idiom that employs both magnificent brooding chordal passages and melody lines so subtly invoked that they seem to slide sideways into the music. With clear and often dancing lines from Sam Burgess on bass and highly inventive cross rhythms from Josh Blackmore, who showed great awareness of the acoustics of the Holywell, the total effect of Curios was music that moved through so many fascinating pathways it defied any glib description.

Yaron Herman (pictured) was equally unique with a technique that was immediately breathtaking and an approach to the business of creating jazz that was wonderfully individual. With Stephane Crick playing tight, crisp bass and the rich explosive drumming of Gary Husband the music was by turns a burst of sonic fireworks through to almost inaudible scuttlings on the keyboard with Herman at times plucking the piano strings or damping them with his hand, as in his version of Britney Spears’s Toxic. He used a dramatic dynamic range, and although there were times when Gary Husband almost overpowered the piano, Herman has a technique that could reach the audience at any level. A magisterial performance.

Other concerts coming up in this classy series include Michael Garrick in trio, Gwilym Simcock, solo and two legendary players, Stan Tracey and Bobby Wellins, in duo. Contact Dorothy Shaw on 01235 535689 for information.