The Imperial Hotel threw open the windows to let in the sun and let out the joyous sound of the Ewan Haines-Davies Quintet, playing the regular Tenby Jazz Lunch.

The group had its beginnings as a quartet studying jazz performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama – Ewan Haines-Davies on double bass, Sam Robertson on tenor sax, Joe Bentley on trumpet andTom Williams on drums – but added to its line-up the gifted keyboard player Cat Razzell. It was a good move, for the five young musicians put on a dazzling show wherever they play.

They started their Tenby set quietly with just keyboard and bass, before gradually bringing in the rest of the band. It was not the only sign that they like to do things differently. They have a slick way of divvying out the solos, sometimes just two or four bars at a time, switching between soloists.

The playing was superb throughout, the beautifully mellow sound of the trumpet blending nicely with the sultry sax, bass and drums all the more effective for being largely understated, and cool Cat Razzell sprinkling stardust from the keyboard.

Having set out their stall with Jimmy Dorsey favourite ‘Tangerine’ they upped the tempo (and the temperature) with Cannonball Adderley’s ‘Jeannine’, kicking off a well constructed programme that featured some Clifford Brown numbers, Jimmy Van Heusen’s ‘It could only happen to you’, Chet Baker’s ‘I fall in love too easily’ and the Charlie Parker blues ‘Relaxin' At Camarillo’.

In the ballads, Tom Williams’ brushwork on the drums was echoed by the waves lapping on South Beach below. With nothing so fusty as sheet music the young musicians played from iPads, and sax player Sam Robertson was the essence of cool, replacing his reed during a trumpet solo.

Next up for the Tenby Jazz Lunch is Dick Hamer’s Jazz Passengers featuring vocalist Jenny Jones at the Imperial on July 9.