Calvert takes his cues from Herbie Hancock’s 1971 classic Mwandishi. And if you thought Hancock’s ground-breaking use of electric keys and electronic effects was intense, then Calvert and Storløkken pile up layer upon layer of synths and electronics at coruscating tempos, which can sometimes make Million Seller the most visceral of listens. But who said a jazz listen was meant to be easy?

Calvert openly takes titles from Hancock’s original, (and ‘Water Torture’ from Crossings, come to that), although his ‘You’ll Know When You Get There’ is very much his call, a lyrical swoon (yes, there are meditative moments here) of bubbling effects. Calvert banned Rhodes keyboards from the recording to distance himself from the original, but he does have a suite of ostinatos. But they’re not dedicated to activist Angela Davis. Indeed, one intensity seemingly missing here is the anger implicit in Civil Rights campaigns which Hancock and his contemporaries were so part of. But credit to Calvert in a Black Lives Matter world for at least resonating with that era.

Indeed, Calvert’s use of West African instrumentation through Kouyate and Sarr (and not least Dave Smith, an aficionado of Gambian percussion) again chimes with Mwandishi’s focus on Hancock’s search for African roots. The opening kora colours on ‘Ostinato-intro’ augurs an album that doesn’t actually unfold. Many would doubtless have preferred further explorations of these acoustic textures. Hancock himself gave acres of space to his horns on Mwandishi. Instead, the electronics and beats on Million Seller inevitably dominate and drown potential nuances. That won’t make this release a million seller (Calvert is all too aware of his ironic title choice), but that was never this composer’s intent. Beneath the roar and bluster, there’s a thoughtful composition urging to come out.