With a solid grounding in such contemporary ensembles as Tomorrow’s Warriors Female Frontline, Colectiva and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, and having worked with artists like Jelly Cleaver and ESKA, pianist and composer Maria Graspa was probably due a solo album by now. And sure enough, here it is.

The best tracks on Life are those featuring Wilkins’ refreshingly pure, folky English vocals. Three of these - ‘Palace on the Hill’, ‘Circus Lane’ and the title track - also feature her imaginative lyrics.

Maria Graspa is generous to the other musicians, her piano usually taking a back seat to the singer or the saxophonists, but it’s a tribute to her writing that she composes so well for other instruments. The melodies are strong, as on ‘Floating in a Hundred Colours Sea’ [sic]. She is also unafraid to take risks, which means in some cases she over-indulges the saxophonists (e.g. ‘Anna Back’ and ‘Life’), and there's perhaps a lack of consistency in style overall. But the music brims with ideas, making for an interesting and creditable debut.