Brooklyn-based now, George is a Caribbean American saxophonist from Berkeley, California, who says these 10 compositions reflect the ‘experiences, circumstances and people that have made me who I am’. They distil many influences, including those of Coltrane and João Gilberto, he adds. Well-studied, George won an award to spend a year in Cuba and this is also a factor in his music. His album title relates to the Max Roach classic We Insist! Freedom Now Suite and George says these pieces have been honed in the many jam sessions that he oversees locally.

Given the foregoing, it comes as a surprise to note that George’s own playing is soft-toned, quite lyrical, his middle-of-the-range tenor sound eschewing the Coltrane cry. His compositions are pleasingly melodic and are conveyed either through a harmonised line with vocalist Stevens (George’s fiancée) or by him direct. He also voices with Wilson’s Wurlitzer keyboard, this adding a fresh sound, with bassist Allen a real find, wonderfully fast-moving on, say, ‘Balance’, a simple theme with a countermelody.

The title track is the longest, with George playing extended lines over a springy rhythm section. Impressive. ‘Haiti’ takes in regional rhythms. Each piece deserves attention as does the playing of these musicians, all new to me, temperate in style here but each with an undertow of intriguing creativity. I’d like to hear more of George, potentially with another horn alongside. Good of Dave Douglas’s Greenleaf Music to give him a debut: interesting to observe what he might do next.