New York saxophonist Rivera makes much of his Mexican heritage [he was named for painter Diego Rivera] in his compositional stance and playing approach; but here he opens his 12-track album with Cannonball Adderley's ‘Marabi’, a spirited rouser with Charles adding his pointilliste trumpet. Rivera is a confident soloist, with a great, mid-career Rollins feel to his playing; he's happy to offer extended improvisations, fluent and direct, buoyed up by this superior rhythm section [all alumni of the Mingus Big Band], Kozlov propelling everything superbly, notably on the surging title track. Stevie Wonder's ‘The Secret Life of Plants’ is softer, the light-touch soprano allied to Sung's delicacy making this an album standout.

Rivera displays his Latin affiliations on the brightly rhythmic ‘Sombras Del Pasado’, Charles again fleshing out the narrative and soloing in his careful way, Sung in the same mood. Rivera's ‘BLM PLaza’, for the Washington location re-named after the explosion of protest provoked by George Floyd's death is a straight-ahead swinger and nicely done. Sung gets to play at length on the quick-fire ‘Aztlan’, Kozlov and Edwards ‘in the pocket’ as we used to say, Rivera in fluent form. His soprano, lightly centred, is featured on the likable ‘Sabor A Mi’, the Trinidad-ian Charles sitting comfortably with its Latin styling, Kozlov soloing ably. Sung has the kind of instant capacity for invention that Kenny Barron has – she's a force for good, for sure. Rivera, too, is a player to watch and on this evidence a composer of real worth.