Bookended by the magnificent compositions of Charles Mingus, this 10-track album from vocalist Sara Oschlag is a tour de force that pays homage to the greats while asserting Oschlag’s singular voice. It opens with a swagger, with Oschlag appending new lyrics to ‘Mingus Fingers’ – here retitled ‘Here comes Mingus! (Mingus Fingers)’ – and closes with one of the great eulogistic masterpieces, ‘Duke Ellington’s Sound Of Love’, which is given a gorgeous reading here by Oschlag.

The singer’s interpretation of ‘Lazy Afternoon’, the Jerome Moross and John Le Touche classic from the 1954 musical The Golden Apple, is a highlight, her languid delivery painting vivid scenes and Edwards’ shimmering Hammond organ providing a heat-hazed backdrop. Oschlag’s rhythmic flexibility shines on ‘East Of The Sun’, the Brooks Bowman standard first recorded in 1934, while ‘Some of My Best Friends Are The Blues’ showcases her ability to imbue familiar tunes with newfound vitality. The album’s varied moods and textures are a constant delight, from the enchanting, lush arrangement of ‘I’m Glad There Is You’ with its trilling clarinet and tinkling glockenspiel, to the soulfully swinging take on Horace Silver’s ‘Summer In Central Park Thrill’ (again featuring new lyrics by Oschlag) and the energising blast of ‘The Song Is You’.

Recorded at Eastbourne’s Echo Zoo Studios by David Lynch and beautifully mixed and produced, the album is a testament not only to Oschlag’s artistry but also to the enduring power of the human voice to move, inspire, and transport us to realms of pure emotion.