The Island is the debut by the young Dutch saxophonist-composer Kasper Rietkerk, who a few years ago moved to London to attend the Royal Academy jazz course. During this period he formed his contemporary London-based sextet KRSIX who appear alongside a handful of notable guests on this new recording.

On opener ‘Baiji’ the band borrows from the vocabulary of indie rock with its chiming guitar, horn riffs and fierce backbeat yet with hints of New Orleans funk in a middle section. But a mellower, pastoral mood also pervades thereafter starting with ‘Roll it in Glitter’ with the leader’s alto sax’s warmly expressive vocal-like tone and a string quartet and wordless vocal discreetly rather than dramatically colouring the scenery.

A rising star guest soloist, the Swiss, London-based accordionist Anatole Muster also adds a fresh timbre. As does another guest contributor: the UK sax starlet Emma Rawicz, to whose orchestra the leader contributes, leads the pack on ‘Ship of Fools’ her darkly languid Donny McCaslin-ish ballad tenor articulately bursting into life until an impressively sonorous guitar solo by Alex Lockheart grabs the attention.

All of this marks a promising debut album full of Rietkerk’s bittersweet and well-crafted compositions.