In a period where bereavements are all too regular, the recent death of drummer-composer-educator Peterson is particularly hard to bear.

This is nonetheless a fitting valedictory statement. Titles such as ‘Tears I Cannot Hide’ and ‘The Right To Live’ suggest that the music, recorded just a few months prior to his passing, are intimations of mortality. Be that as it may, there is a wider commentary on modern day social justice, with the title track evoking the image of George Floyd and countless others.

Fittingly, the songs range from the solemn to the defiant, sometimes with no clear dividing line between the two. Like his mentor Art Blakey, Peterson has a rock-solid command of swing and shuffle vocabularies, and their numerous funky hybridisations, which enables him to lend substantial momentum to a relatively unusual instrumentation: piano trio plus percussion. There are lively Afro-Latin undercurrents on much of the material as well as a skilled use of thumb piano and a guest appearance by vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, who is on vigorous form on ‘Please Do Something.’

Like many musicians, Peterson didn't have as big a rep as he deserved during his lifetime, but this is the kind of high-quality work that should ensure that his legacy does not slip away into the mists of time.