I’ve always enjoyed Lakecia Benjamin’s studio recordings (2020’s remarkable Pursuance especially), but for me it’s in the live setting where she really shines, be it at a big festival or the more intimate spaces of Ronnie Scott's or the Jazz Café. So the idea of recording the maestra live in the studio (at New York’s Bunker, a superb space of which Brad Mehldau is an alumnus), in front of a small but enthusiastic audience and with a bunch of top-notch accompanists and stellar guests, was a brilliantly simple one.

Phoenix Reimagined (Live) doesn’t disappoint. Despite a slight Spinal Tap cringe factor when Benjamin bellows "How ya feelin'?" in the introduction, this is jazz of the highest order, played with energy, intensity and commitment – and beautifully recorded, delivering both the spontaneity and atmosphere of a live show with the crisp precision of a great studio session. Focussing on music from last year's acclaimed Phoenix album and adding three new tunes, Reimagined features Benjamin's core backing trio and astutely-selected guest turns from the likes of John Scofield, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts and Randy Brecker (and everyone is precisely on point).

What's especially striking about this album is its muscularity: not just musically, but also in the trenchant comment of ‘Amerikkan Skin’ additionally the new ‘Peace Is Possible’; and a fabulous ‘My Favorite Things’ and and her explosive original ‘Trane’ prove that Benjamin is more than capable of carrying the torch of her great hero, John Coltrane.

Phoenix Reimagined is one of the best live jazz albums of recent years. It's the next best thing to being there.