This ambitious undertaking by 2018 Kenny Wheeler prize winner Jonny Mansfield, a percussionist who specialises in the vibes, marks the debut on record of his Elftet, which garnered enthusiastic reviews in live performance during his autumn 2018 tour and has earned the endorsement of established jazz luminaries such as Joe Locke, Evan Parker and Jorge Rossy. Deservedly so. Beyond the stage band there's a paucity of larger ensembles in the UK, yet such endeavours open audience ears to a broader palette of sound, dynamics and musical colour than duos, trios and quartets. Mansfield has the ambition to tread a different path and in creating a larger ensemble, and writing and composing for it, has set himself a lifetime's challenge. At this point of his career his voice and vision is shaped both by the sum total of his assimilated influences and his own evolving musical perspective, which is as it should be. Mastering the larger ensemble and developing an individual voice takes time (and commissions!) – for example, one of his influences, Maria Schneider, in her early years drew inspiration from Gil Evans and Bob Brookmeyer before blossoming into the original she is today. Yet on the promise of pieces such as ‘T&C's Apply’, ‘For You’ and ‘Flying Kites’, Mansfield suggests enormous promise for the future.