Even before the much-loved London-based piano trio Phronesis called it a day in 2020, the band's effervescent now London-based bassist-leader Jasper Høiby, was on a mission to spread awareness of the importance of action on climate change and planet sustainability directly through his music. His plans came more sharply into focus on new trio Planet B's eponymously titled 2020 release, the first instalment in a four-part project of which this one, What it Means to be Human, is the second. As with Phronesis, Høiby favours an energetic, tightly-knit acoustic trio dialogue and his bass is an imposing one, favouring a full-blooded, sonorous pizzicato and sensuously propulsive grooves.

Alongside Høiby are French drummer Marc Michel and the British tenor saxophonist Josh Arcoleo, who made a very promising debut himself on the Edition label in 2012; here he effectively maintains an inventive, purposeful narrative. His occasionally Rollins-ish sax in bustling counterpoint with Høiby's bass is a highlight. The album's dark edgy, sonicworld resonates well with Høiby's eco-warning which is reinforced with a tasteful scattering of audio samples as spoken by various female authors/cultural commentators including Grace Lee Boggs, Ruby Sales and Jane Goodall. They seem to work as passing commentary, attaching thought and meaning to the music without hammering you over the head with it and Høiby's ethereal arco plays a key role in this communication.

Worthy political or humanitarian agendas rarely translate well to jazz in practice, but Høiby's passion is laid bare in his music here.