Starting Today

This debut album, by prodigious keys player, composer and producer Joe Armon-Jones, is buoyant,

celebratory and welcoming. With a background in jazz, he draws from influences in dub, hip-hop and

soul. Different traditions are infused and commingled together. Soulful brass arrangements are

coloured with carefully-tuned atmospherics; individual flashes of brilliance are bound into the

album's bigger picture.

He's part of London's young, jazz-influenced music scene. Drawn from that same close-knit circle,

the album features the likes of Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia and Oscar Jerome. It's playing with those

- along with Ezra Collective, which he co-founded, and touring with the likes of Ata Kak and

Pharoahe Monch - which has honed his playing and grown his ideas.

It's made for a record with an unmistakable depth. He draws on deep musical understanding, making

music which is warm and has a feeling of joy. A document of his vision for bringing together his

different influences, it's also a testament to hard-earned, head-turning musical virtuosity.