Courtney Pine, Carnegie Hall, 5th February.

COURTNEY Pine brought his latest project 'Europa' to the Carnegie Hall on Saturday ahead of the album's release next month.

The tour takes place after that and so it was a great coup for the Fife Jazz Festival to bring Courtney north to give his new material only its second public airing, the first being at the London Jazz Festival.

This album reflects the musicians life living in and travelling through Europe. He is proud of his Afro-Caribean roots but London is where he was born and so is very much a European.

The influences altered from track to track as he meandered through the continent's cultures - French, Russian, Greek, Irish and of course Scottish as Courtney had promised.

'They Came from the North' was a brooding Celtic masterpiece and other stand outs were 'Darwin's Dream Deferred', 'Greek Fire' and 'La Reserch du Sangreal'.

Courtney's music is about representing the world around him through his compositions and his pieces here often descended into discordant cacophony depicting tumult and turmoil of the big bad world.

One or two in the audience looked like they would have preferred him to play 'When the Saints Go Marching In' and other toe-tapping trad jazz favourites but they were in the wrong place.

Thankfully the vast majority fully appreciated the finely crafted works and the performance of them by wonderful artists including past Mercury Prize nominee, pianist Zoe Rahman.

Courtney Pine's warm personality quickly won over the audience and this was reinforced by a stunning tour de force over an hour and three-quarters which brought a well-deserved standing ovation.