The Gato Barbieri inspired Giovanni Guidi 5-star CAM Jazz album Ojos de Gato was a big highlight in 2021. And now ahead of full release we can all hear the lead-off track of the remarkable Italian pianist's reunion with James Brandon Lewis from that extraordinary recording on a differently configured upcoming quartet album entitled A New Day that was recorded in France last summer.

Read a review of Ojos de Gato

Both are joined this time around on ECM by the Frisellian tone master bassist Thomas Morgan - surely the Charlie Haden of his generation - and drummer João Lobo, who was on the earlier Guidi album released in 2019 entitled Avec Le Temps - an album all about romanticism and beauty on which Morgan also appeared and which included a homage to Tomasz Stańko.

Overcome are death and strife, this night is born new life, the robin sang rejoicing

A New Day recorded in France at La Buissonne, the studio known to late period Jamalians as the ''Saturday Morning'' studio, a big favourite of A New Day producer Manfred Eicher's for years and years, tracks include a traditional Catalan Christmas carol here entitled 'Cantos Del Ocells' usually known as 'El cant dels ocells' and in English 'The Carol of the Birds' - boomer folk fans will know it most through Joan Baez - which is streaming ahead of release plus Guidi originals 'To A Young Student,' 'Means For A Rescue,' his free improvisation and co-write with the band 'Only Sometimes,' 'Luigi (The Boy Who Lost His Name)' and 'Wonderland' plus an interpretation of Rodgers and Hart classic standard 'My Funny Valentine'.

Lewis, who has completely justifiably been picking up rave reviews by the more enlightened members of the jazz press for years, contributes a very moving solo on the Catalan carol as you can hear above and appears on an ECM recording for the first time. Yes, it's a special moment and yet another landmark in the American free-jazz player's ever more engrossing career and a meeting of minds once again with kindred spirit, the rara avis Guidi.

Giovanni Guidi, photo: ECM on YouTube. The full album is to be released on 12 July.