Released: March 22, 2024

Genre: Jazz

From: London, UK

Label: International Anthem

A few thoughts: Talented jazz composer and saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi has released a new project alongside her ensemble seed. titled gratitude. Recorded for the most part at the Southbank Centre in London, a commissioned piece that was recorded in March 2023. It features turntableist NikNak and the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), and is a moving, dynamic and riveting body of work that showcases Cassie’s incredible compositional prowess. The tracks throughout are rich with incredible wind instrumentation, immersive synths and string sections that add a beauty and depth to the music that is truly entrancing. The grandiose energy and strings of “i” are incredible and vibrant, with guitar melodies that are delicate and moody, meandering effortlessly throughout the soundscapes led by emphatic saxophone leads and subtle but poignant drumming. The colourful and vibrant “ii” is another great moment on the album, while “iii sun through my window” is a stunning piece of music, with a moody, meandering wind section, eerie yet stunning at the start, as developing into this sweet flute-led piece that with angelic synths, a groovy bassline, and an angelic tone and quality to it that is absolutely stunning. “iv” has a grandiose energy, with an orchestral grandiosity that is almost overwhelming and one of my favourite tracks off the album. “Smoke in the Sun” closes the album off with a light, moving piece, vibrant in its energy and complex in its composition. It’s a stunning wind instrumentation-led piece that captures Cassie Kinoshi and her band’s incredible musicianship. gratitude is a stunning commissioned album with an incredible array of artists adding to the rich, dynamic and soulful energy.

The album: