The young Yorkshire pianist Jamil Sheriff has an endearingly irreverent attitude to his work. He hasn't quite got round to giving most of his compositions names yet, and he and his octet haven't quite got round to rehearsing some of them. "The prospect of this tune train-wrecking is pretty high," he announces, launching into a highly involved mini jazz-symphony that sounds remarkably polished, given that it was presented to the band only this week.

Tonight they showcased material from their new album, Daydreams, a record that clearly demonstrates that Sheriff is not intimidated by the challenge of writing and arranging for four horns.

The roots of their sound reside in lean Horace Silver funk, with a bit of Sidewinder-era Lee Morgan. Balancing these earthy influences is a Wayne Shorter-like commitment to narrative composition. Not for Sheriff the practice of writing an opening theme then simply lining his soloists up to take turns in the spotlight. The composed themes occur in different instrumental configurations as tightly orchestrated passages segue into one another.

There is no shortage of fine soloists: saxophonists Ben Martin and Joel Purnell conduct themselves with immaculate taste, while guitarist Pat McCarthy combines soul and lyricism. There is, however, a blandness to several of the compositions, few of which contain genuine epiphanies or climaxes. Sheriff may be overinjecting his own immense amiability into his music at the expense of a sense of drama. As saxophonist Julian Arguelles has demonstrated, you can make a mighty mean racket with an octet. It shouldn't be beyond Sheriff's capability to give it a go.

· At the Wheatsheaf, Wirksworth (07831 874294) on Thursday.