Riff Raff emerged out of North London’s Loop Collective and E17 Jazz, for whom Manington was an original member. Their second album, 2018's Challenger Deep, saw the arrival of Riff Raff’s current top-end East London-based personnel. The new recording Weightless sees them engage with elements from a progressive Brazilian-jazz fusion from Flora Purim to Native Dancer through to Balkan/Middle-eastern/prog folk music and avant-jazz. Compositions, written by Manington and vocalist Brigitte Beraha, are melodiously percussive and sound as much improvised as composed; cerebral as well as sensuous, a jazz samba-like syncopation infuses playfully inventive themes that resemble bebop heads in terms of their conversational narrative. They blend seamlessly with soloing especially those of Beraha who’s a versatile, sensitive and exploratory vocalist, characteristics that have made her a first-call for band leaders looking for a wordless improvising ensemble player or an intimate frontline standard interpreter with a delivery semi-resembling the art-song pastoralism of Norma Winstone.

The other standout contribution is from Rob Updegraff, who’s in the should-be-better-known category; his guitar sonic infused with a crunchy, psych-folky ambience. Don’t miss them live at Pizza Express Soho in May for the album launch.