Progressively inclined Belgian jazzers De Beren Gieren go from strength to strengh. Listening to What Eludes Us makes us recall thinking back to 2011 and Bruges. Hamster Axis Of The One-Click Panther, Rêve d’Eléphant and Tuur Florizoone were among the highlights of a ''glittering'' gathering of jazz in the picturesque canal heavy medieval city that only a few years earlier was used as the location for the very darkly amusing Martin McDonagh film, In Bruges. Back then Belgium was in the embarrassing position of over the 15 months prior of neglecting to form a government - ring any bells, Irish readers. Ding dong. As Lady Bracknell didn't quite say: ''To lose one government, Monsieur Hallyday, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.''

De Beren Gieren aka ''the bear vultures'' found pianist Fulco Ottervanger (a Magrittian Django Bates) showing an admirable attitude involving high dive tinkling and avant licks. He's even better all these years on but the fully fledged song remains the same, mercifully. Ceci n'est pas Kansas. I have followed the trio's career not particularly closely since but avidly enough when they reached new heights for instance on Less is Endless and now What Eludes Us - their best work. Highlights here include the quasi baroque deconstruction heard on 'A Loving Stumbler' complete with a synth that whistles and even preposterous thoughts of ELP - and 'Fanfare of the Common Man' in one ominous chordal sequence that thankfully pulls back from going anyway at all prog rock - Emerson, Lake and Palmer that is. Phew. Far out, rather than right, em, that's far enough. De Beren Gieren are far more hip than an operation - never a pain, rarely a chore - it says on a fridge. So cool