Ashley Henry's really taking off here – rising even higher than the promise we've always seen in his music, to a point where a set like this could easily make him a global superstar in both soul and jazz! If you don't know him, Henry's a keyboardist who's contributed plenty to the London scene in the past decade or more – but here, he's evolved with a sense of majesty that has him effortlessly blending jazz and soul, almost with the kind of forward-thinking energy that we might associate with the glory days of Cadet/Concept Records! Ashley sings on a number of tunes, with a voice that's very captivating – and other vocalists on the record include Aja Monet and Judi Jackson – guests alongside other work from Myele Manzana on percussion, James Massiah on flute, Binker Golding on trumpet, and Theo Croker on trumpet. An instant classic – a record that embraces the London scene, but elevates beyond it into territory that's very universal – and which, we hope, will have us hearing a lot more genius from Ashley in years to come! Titles include "Take It Higher", "Who We Are", "Fly Away", "Mississippi Goddamn", "Tin Girl", "Love At The Vienna Biennale", and "Autumn". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the crowning achievement of drummer Makaya McCraven so far – a double-length set that stands as a huge testimony to all the many waves he's been making in jazz for the past few years! The album features four slices of live performance – recorded in New York, Chicago, LA, and London – and as with every one of his different projects, Makaya seems to bring a different voice to each live track here – recording with Brandee Younger on harp and Joel Ross on vibes in New York, Shabaka Hutchings on tenor in Chicago; Nubya Garcia on tenor and Ashley Henry on Rhodes in London; and Josh Johnson on alto, Jeff Parker on guitar, Carlos Nino on percussion, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on violin in LA! The rhythms are as amazing as the contributions from the different soloists – and the sound of the record is maybe something we'd call post-spiritual – moving past that Coltrane-inspired mode that's been revived so well in the 21st Century, while still holding onto its best sense of energy. The whole thing is fantastic – and titles include "The Count Off", "Brighter Days Beginning", "Universal Beings", "Mantra", "Young Genius", "Holy Lands", "Wise Man Wiser Woman", "Prosperity's Fear", "Atlantic Black", "Flipped Out", "Voila", and "Suite Hans". LP, Vinyl record album