Being self-taught, Alexander Hawkins might have found himself out on a limb in a young jazz scene where having a first-class honours is nearly de rigueur. But the Oxford-born pianist, still in his early thirties, seems to have a refreshingly old school approach; he does a lot of listening and playing, and has been developing under the mentorship of veterans from the international free improv scene such as John Edwards and Steve Noble, as well as African jazz pioneers Louis Moholo-Moholo and Mulatu Astatké. With over a dozen recordings to his name since the beginning of the decade and a growing recognition on the continent, Hawkins has established a unique musical identity. With this in mind it's perhaps a shrewd move to wait until now to release a piano trio debut in what's still a widely subscribed format. It features his working trio's exciting rhythm section of double bassist Neil Charles and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner – there's a shared history as co-members of Mulatu Astatké's orchestra and Hawkins’ ensemble. The trio open with an infectiously percussive piece in tribute to Duke Ellington titled ‘Sweet Duke’. It's not hard to hear the key influence on Hawkins of Thelonious Monk either. But the insistence of Hawkins on the central role of rhythm here with all its intense angularities points to more contemporary piano models such as Vijay Iyer. As well there are references to classical music, for example the piano on ‘Ahra’ has echoes of the east European ‘nationalist’ era. Throughout, the trio's compact raw sound and close chemistry is exhilarating, as Neil Charles’ bass strings buzz with a visceral energy yet understated groove and Tom Skinner's drums clatter with biting propulsion, always moving together as one unit.