Ben Sidran might be thought to be spreading his talents a little thin - he is a singer, songwriter, pianist, author, broadcaster and record producer - if they weren't all blended with the same relaxed, unassumingly musical and laconically witty spirit. He appeared at Pizza Express with his own confection of brisk postbop, quietly sardonic songs and neatly paced, urbane rap.

Sidran is a musical relative of Mose Allison: not only does he echo the veteran Delta blues-poet's methods in the casual ironies of his lyrics and the percussive character of his piano-playing, he has also worked with Allison on recording projects for his own Go Jazz record label. A successful career as a record producer (and as a partner in the 1970s to Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs) has enabled Sidran to patronise the artists he likes, and the clipped, laid-back inflections of Georgie Fame are also present in Sidran's singing and the Go Jazz catalogue.

There is an added ingredient in Sidran's show that Allison doesn't usually feature: his performances are expanded by some determined, contemporary jazz-ensemble blowing. The pianist was partnered at Pizza Express by the young saxophonist Bob Malach, a Michael Brecker-like performer of hard-edged tone and varied phrasing. Bassist Bill Peterson and Sidran's son Leo further galvanised the ensemble, the latter with the kind of deft drumming that suggests the twists and turns of this music are very familiar to him.

Jon Hendricks's straightahead piece Everybody's Boppin' brought some throaty tenor variations from Malach against Sidran's flinty chords. A stride-piano intro turned into an easy-rolling blues with a lyric about what you might say to the president if given the opportunity. A rap on jazz history was maybe not as trenchantly revealing as an Allison equivalent might have been, but the narrative and fast-changing music were effectively placed.