Rightly acclaimed as an ultra-rare jazz nominee for the Mercury Prize, Zoe Rahman didn't actually win that bauble but has since become a very busy bandleader nevertheless.

Beneath her sunny smile and relaxed persona lies a solid take-charge attitude, manifested by her unusually tough trio arrangements. Packed with tempo changes and unexpected stop-go accents, these demanded absolute concentration from drummer Gene Calderazzo and bassist Oli Hayhurst.

Some perspiration, too, as they strove heroically to hit every cue in split-second unison during this two-night residency.

The Stride, by South African maestro Abdullah Ibrahim, featured several such instant gear-changes before hitting a satisfying fast-medium groove for Zoe to embellish in her alternately florid and hard-driving way. The slower-paced Camel, one of her many originals, highlighted her sensuous keyboard touch, while the raga-like figures of Pother Klanti later tapped into her Asian side.

After a bass feature from the Bill Evans book, Gloria's Step, and a tuneful Portuguese folk-song whose title Zoe momentarily couldn't recall, came the real meat of the set. Friday the Thirteenth, chosen on its correct day, recalled the dynamic, oblique attack of Joanne Brackeen, the formidable pianist with whom Zoe studied at Boston's Berklee college.

The orchestral way she punctuated delicate right-hand lines with dense bass-clef chords also suggested the great Ahmad Jamal, reportedly bound for Ronnie Scott's later this summer. Much to admire, then, not forgetting the yard of waist-length hair that now shimmers darkly down the Rahman back. Somebody should call L'Oreal, because she's worth it.