You can learn a lot just by taking a closer look at something that, on the face of it, seems inconsequential. Writing this, for instance, I realised how easy it is to use words that can have multiple meanings depending upon context. Mr. Google tells me they are called homonyms. Then there are homophones, homographs and, well, it’s a minefield out there. Just a minute: minefield - is that one?

Julian Joseph is a serious musician. A precise and gifted technician at the piano, he’s a jazzman, a teacher, a broadcaster (you will know his rich, honeyed voice from Radio 3’s “Jazz Line Up”) and a multi-genre composer – he’s got a new violin concerto being premiered at the Salisbury Arts Festival this month. A serious musician, then, but also a serious musician – his charming, gentle persona oozes kindness, but you could never imagine him “doing a Humph” and reading out letters from a Mrs. Trellis of North Wales. In jazz terms, he’s “Straight, No Chaser.”

He brought The Julian Joseph Trio to Salisbury Playhouse last Saturday, and the disappointingly small audience were treated to an evening of virtuosic modern (there’s another one) jazz. Playing mainly JuJo’s own compositions, we kicked off with a gentle, meditative number which was not, frankly, overly melodic – one for the cognoscenti, to be honest. What was clear from the start, though, was the quality of the band and how well they “gelled,” with the stupendous Mark Mondesir on drums offering dramatic colour and embellishment to Julian’s piano, while bass player Mark Hodgson provided a subtle link between the two, plucking away behind them in a decidedly Mingus-influenced style.

Soon, though, the pace picked up. “Point Of Meditation” was Julian’s tribute to his late Mum, drawing on her favourite pieces, Liszt’s Consolations, as his inspiration. Things got more frenetic with his gospel-inspired composition, “Faith,” and you soon sensed that Julian is reflective and passionate, but also a real swinger. That’s “swinger” in one sense of the word only, of course.

The final piece, an up-tempo, ultra-high-energy re-working of Gershwin’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It” just blew the roof off and the standing ovation the band received was, for once, entirely warranted.

So, let me give you just one more word, the meaning of which is intentionally unambiguous. Brilliant.