The James Sherlock Quartet - Watermark - This could be exhibit A in the case that some of the world's most exciting jazz is being made in Australia. Slashing colours and jolting rhythms transfix you from the outset, and the levels of invention and ardour ensure the captivation does not flag.

James Sherlock, a Melbourne guitarist who has moved to Brisbane, has assembled an interstate band of four of the most distinctive musicians in the land and he, trumpeter Scott Tinkler, bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Simon Barker produce some of the best playing they have committed to disc.

Sherlock's sound has warmth and bite (reminiscent of John McLaughlin circa Extrapolation) He uses it to produce tense, twisting solos, sometimes churning, sometimes chiming accompaniment.

Hirst and Barker are glued together as they ploughed deep furrows across the rhythmic fields of Sherlock's imaginative tunes, while Tinkler scorches above it all. John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald (May, 06)