Although the passing of Gil Scott-Heron in 2011 continues to cast a long shadow over contemporary black music, it should be noted that keyboardist-flautist Brian Jackson, the man who was instrumental in helping him fulfill his artistic vision throughout the 1970s and 80s, is still very much alive and kicking. His presence alone lends a certain gravitas to this ambitious project helmed by producer Kentyah, who, as can be seen from the personnel details, has sought to create a grand sonic fresco that conjoins soul, jazz, funk and hip-hop, genres all entirely relevant to the subject matter. In any case Jackson hasn’t lost his touch as a keys player and his glowingly beautiful Rhodes work, supplemented by drums and bass from jazz-funk legends the Headhunters, shows how close the oeuvre he created with Scott-Heron was to the music of both Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder. The guest vocalists and rappers come thick and fast and it’s possible that the 18-track set could have benefited from fewer contributors, just to give a bit of breathing space to the historic recollections of key voices such as Black Panther Bobby Seale. Yet the highlights, which include Martin Luther’s spine-tingling rendition of the anthem ‘Winter In America’, the Dead Prez/Blackbyrd McKnight double header ‘Young Blood’ and Airto/Gregory Porter’s ‘Song Of The Wind’, are too good for the project not to be worth investigating. A certain wordsmith might have applauded the way that his spirit of invention has not been trivialised.