This fiercely political release from drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington and her new group, Social Science, offers a message of humanity and takes aim at all manner of social injustices, from homophobia to institutional racism. Part One is genre-fluid – as influenced by rock, hip hop and R&B as it is jazz – with features for a string of guests. On the swaggering, anarchic ‘Purple Mountains’ superb MC Kokayi blasts the US government's treatment of Native Americans The poignant ‘No Justice (for political prisoners)’ features a powerful act of remembrance from Meshell Ndegeocello and the words of fugitive activist Assata Shakur and incarcerated writer Mumia Abu-Jamal. And a stirring march called ‘The Anthem’ sees excellent rapper Rapsody rage against the patriarchy. On Part Two bassist Esperanza Spalding joins Carrington, keys-player Aaron Parks and guitarist Matthew Stevens to perform ‘Dreams and Desperate Measures’, a 40-minute improvised suite with orchestral overdubs written by Edmar Colón. Together they sink us into a shadowy soundworld full of rummaging strings and blustery flute, piano lines that sound like fragments of classical nocturnes, guitar whines and whimpers, abstract funk bass grooves, exquisitely-jarring cluster chords and some stunning drumkit forays. The idea was to explore freedom more broadly. Musically, it's a highpoint of an excellent and, above all, important album.