A real treat from Rollins, who has been gigging Velocity for about 18 months, but most people will know from his funk feats with Maceo Parker and his own Badbone & Co. band. Velocity however is very different fare. Indeed, as an organ/trombone trio it’s unique in jazz terms, although Rollins has plugged it into some very recognisable roots, most notably the Blue Note works of Larry Young, circa Unity. Rollins evokes both the spiritual and musically innovative side of Young. He can do it slow, as on the gorgeous slow ballad ‘The Other Side’, all rolling toms and long, rich organ chords upon which Rollins floats, melancholic yet strong; or he can do it with a Lifetime-style attack (‘Emergence’). Of course the funk is never far away, and there’s a rollocking version of the live favourite, ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’. There’s also a swirlingly choral title track, with its multi-tracked ‘bones. But most liberating of all, Velocity eschew effects and go for a straightahead, non-overdubbed live sound. The results are irresistible: take The 11th Gate at the first opportunity.