The January issue of the UK magazine Jazz Journal includes the results of its 2013 critics' poll. While some of its writers seem to believe that real music ended before Elvis & The Beatles arrived, most contributors are more modern in their outlook, so it's still a bit of an achievement for vintage jazz to get much of a look-in at poll time.

It was therefore a pleasant surprise to find that The Jazz Age made the top five in the new release (as opposed to reissue) lists of two critics, garnering 10 points each from Dave Gelly (who also reviews for The Observer) & Gordon Jack.

Gelly wrote "Ferry's band, with Colin Good's arrangements, came as the surprise of the year", while Jack added that the "surprise package here is Bryan Ferry's Jazz Age where his hits have been immaculately dressed up as early Ellington-Jelly Roll Morton instrumentals by arranger Colin Good."

The total of 20 points wasn't quite enough to haul TJA into the year's top 10 (the lowest of which garnered 30 points each), but it is nevertheless a very positive outcome.

The same is true of Enrico Tomasso's overdue debut album Al Dente on Alan Barnes' terrific Woodville Records label. Like the BFO, Rico gained 20 points in total, 10 apiece from Jerry Brown & Hugh Rainey.

Brown refers to Rico as a "stalwart of the British scene making his debut solo album", while Rainey offers the view that "current British jazz talent flourishing in vintage styles is represented by trumpeter Enrico Tomasso's fine debut album of small-group swing".

Thanks Smudge. A reminder - as if we needed one - that very quietly TJA and the BFO have made quite an impression on the jazz scene and, in similar understated fashion, probably garnered sufficient sales to be deemed quite a success. All success doesn't have to be accompanied by a huge fanfare (though I guess that sort of recognition has its attractions!).