Difficult to understand that section of (white) American jazz academe and their UK camp followers anxious to ingratiate themselves into their ranks who argue that the essence of jazz is in stressing the music's links to African American history and cutting all links from the influence of white European culture when jazz musicians have been proving the opposite for almost 80 years. First Impressions is a case in point: sensitively conceptualised, well written and well executed, this CD is subtitled The Debussy and Ravel Project. Harrell plays well, as he almost always does, the album featuring his working band of Escoffery, Grissett, Okegwo and Blake augmented by guitar and violin and cello. Opening with Ravel's ‘Sainte’, the combination of sensitive writing and solos that respect the context from which they emerge sets the tone for an album that demonstrates how interesting ad hoc forms can enrich jazz – ‘Perspectives’, again by Ravel, is a multi-sectional through composed form. In this, and pieces like Debussy's ‘Reverie’ and ‘Sarabande’, influences are further drawn from latin rhythms which contribute to an album that in its conception and execution is well worth seeking out.